Shadow's Rebellion
by Lunnaire
Summary: Summer is here, but I didn't expect to spend it like this. Finding out I'm a demigod, fighting monsters, solving murders, going on quests, remembering my past life, stopping a war between camps, facing the embodiment of darkness... Fate has plans, and so many campers being named after people in the Trojan War is just asking for trouble. The prophecy didn't say anything about this!
1. I Have a Very Happy Birthday

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1: I HAVE A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY**

* * *

 **ELENI**

* * *

 _Thursday,_ _June 23_ _rd_ _, 2033_

* * *

Today had been the last day of testing for the end of my sophomore year. It was also my sixteenth birthday. After I got out from my last test, my mom and I were going to go out to a restaurant to celebrate. Mom even said my dad, who I hadn't seen since my last birthday, just like every year, was going to meet us there.

So it was an understatement to say I was relieved when I left Goode High School. I would have to catch the bus to ride home, seeing as the school buses weren't running and my mom wrecked her car in a mysterious accident last month and the insurance didn't pay to replace it. We barely had enough money as it was, so my mom wasn't able to buy a new one.

The air was hot and humid as I stepped outside, and glancing up at the sky, I saw that heavy storm clouds had gathered over the course of the few hours I had been inside. Great… they looked like thunderstorm clouds. I hated lightning _so_ much… Thunder I could handle, but lightning? I just hoped I could get home before it started raining.

Shivering a little despite the humidity, I adjusted my purse over my shoulder and started walking. The sidewalk was surprisingly empty, though I guessed it was because of everyone heading inside because of the incoming storm. In a few minutes, I reached the bus stop. There was already someone waiting there. Trying to avoid eye contact, I hastily moved to the other side of the stop.

It would have been less awkward if it wasn't a boy who looked around my age. But he wasn't familiar—not someone from Goode. He was tall, probably only a couple inches shy from six foot. But he was kind of gangly, having that look that said _I just had a growth spurt_. His jet black hair was shaggy and sort of messy, and his eyes were bright electric blue. He was wearing a black shirt under a short sleeved white button up shirt, jeans, and black and blue sneakers. A bronze chain with a lightning bolt hung around his neck.

I tried to avoid eye contact, but looking at him when he happened to look at me was _not_ helping. Ugh, bus please come faster! This was _awkward_. At least he wasn't trying to talk to me.

Thunder boomed in the distance, but closer than I expected. For some reason, the boy let out an exasperated sigh, looking up towards the sky. He muttered something under his breath that sounded like, _"Of all days to throw a fit, Dad..."_

I _had_ to have misheard him. There was no way his father had anything to do with the weather.

I wondered if Mom would even want to go out now… She never took me out when it was thunderstorming. I always figured it was because of my fear.

Then I spotted someone else walking down the sidewalk. It was another boy, but I vaguely recognized him from school. He had been in one of my tests today, but I couldn't remember his name for the life of me. But then, for some reason, the strange boy with me stiffened, his hand darting up to finger his necklace. I frowned, wondering what the problem was. Did they know each other?

The other boy tilted his head, a sinister smirk forming on his lips. Um… that was weird-

"Get down!" the dark-haired boy shouted right as a bolt of electricity blasted from the other boy's finger.

I barely had time to duck down as the lightning bolt struck the back of the bus stop, ripping it right off the pavement and sending it flying right into the street. There was screeching from tires behind me as vehicles tried to swerve to avoid hitting it.

Oh my _god_ —I was frozen, my hands clamped over the sides of my head from when I ducked. What… What _was_ that thing?! There was no longer a human boy standing a few yards away, but some kind of… _creature_. It was shaped like a boy, with smoky wings coming out of its back and eyes sparking with voltage.

"An _Anemoi Thuellai_..." The black-haired boy was suddenly in front of me, now holding a bronze _spear_ in his hand. "What are you doing here? Who put you up to this?"

"She should not exist," the monster, the Anemone-whatever, hissed.

"Well, you know what? You shouldn't exist either."

He then hurled his spear at the monster. The weapon pierced right through it, and the next thing I knew, it screeched in pain and dissolved into dust. The spear hit the sidewalk once it was gone. That.. That was… fast…

"Are you all right?"

I glanced up to see that the boy had turned back around to face me. I stared at him for a moment, still very confused and frightened by what just happened.

"...I'm fine."

He let out a sigh of relief, a smile forming on his lips. "Good! Here, let me help you up."

He held out his hand, and I accepted it after a moment, letting him pull me up onto my feet. I looked around, seeing all the aftermath clear as day. The street was in chaos, and sirens were wailing. People were shouting at each other, saying something about a teenager with a gun. That made no sense. No one had any guns!

But before I could say anything, he looked back at me. "We have to get out of here. The Mist is covering everything up, but the cops may think we're the criminals. And I don't need my mom bailing me out again."

"...Wait, _what_? I have _no idea_ what's going on!" I took a step back, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. "Who even _are_ you?!"

His eyes widened. "Oh crap, I didn't even introduce myself. I'm Lee. I'm, uh… a demigod. And if that _Anemoi Thuellai_ was after you, you're probably a demigod too."

"Are you _crazy?!_ " I demanded incredulously. "You expect me to actually believe that? Okay, _Mr. Demigod_ , which god is your parent?"

He grimaced, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. "...Zeus."

As soon as he said that, thunder boomed and a wicked bolt of lightning zigzagged through the sky. I jumped nervously, whipping around towards where it came from, accidentally taking a step back again and nearly bumping into Lee.

"My dad is angry for some reason," he said as I quickly moved away again. "I… have a bad feeling about this. If that _Anemoi Thuellai_ —er, _storm spirit_ —tried to kill you, your family may be in danger."

My eyes widened. "My mom—she's home alone, waiting for me to get back! We were supposed to go out and meet with my dad… to celebrate my birthday."

His eyes widened too. "It's your birthday? Well, happy birthday… uh..."

"Eleni," I sighed. "My name is Eleni."

"Right. Eleni." He frowned. "You're supposed to meet your dad? Gods, this could be why Zeus is angry. We need to get to your mom ASAP-"

He was cut off by familiar barking. Turning around, I saw none other than my black German Shepherd, Misty, tearing towards us. We got her as a puppy for my sixth birthday—a gift from my dad. He wanted us to have a guard dog to protect us. Growing up, I never understood why my dad couldn't just marry my mom. He still took care of us and visited every year, but… I felt cheated. But if my dad was a god… it suddenly made sense.

"Misty!" I gasped, a million questions running through my head.

Why was she here? Was something wrong at home? How did she even find me? Oh no… did something happen to Mom?!

"Wh-Whoa!" Lee exclaimed as Misty jumped up on me and I began to pet her. "Where did you get that?!"

"What are you talking about?" I looked over at him after scratching my dog's ear. "This is Misty, my dog."

"You… You have a pet _hellhound?_ "

I gave him a weird look. "She's a German Shepherd. My dad gave her to me for my sixth birthday."

"Uh… I hate to break it to you..." Lee said slowly. "But that's not a German Shepherd."

Frowning in confusion, I looked back down at Misty. Her appearance seemed to ripple, and suddenly, standing before me was no longer the German Shepherd I knew and loved. She was now a mastiff the size of a grizzly bear, with thick, shaggy black fur and glowing red eyes. Somehow, the pink collar around her neck still fit, with the silver heart-shaped tags hanging from it.

Everything Lee had told me… had to be true. I covered my mouth with my hands. Oh my god… I mean _gods_ … Why did this all have to happen _today_ of all days?!

"M-Misty… is something wrong?" I asked. "Did Mom send you to find me?"

The hellhound barked, and it was so loud the ground shook. She turned around and started heading back down the sidewalk, before pausing and looking back at us.

"We need to hurry," Lee said, and I noticed his necklace was back around his neck, and the spear he had had disappeared. "Lead the way to your place, Eleni."

* * *

I don't think I ever ran as fast as I did while following Misty to our apartment. By the time we got there, I was sweating and breathing heavily. I wasn't used to exerting myself. Our apartment was actually part of row of townhouses owned by the same land lord. They were near the hospital my mom worked at as a nurse. Ours was the first on the right side of the row. As soon as I saw that the front door was wide open, I was stricken with panic.

Misty and Lee followed me as I scaled the front steps and rushed in. I was sort of questioning how she fit in here, but Misty went ahead of me, so I went after her. I was guessing she would take me to Mom. She led me to the kitchen, and there she was, tending to what looked like a gash on her upper arm.

"Mom!" I exclaimed, a wave of relief rushing through me.

My mom was still fairly young for having a teenage daughter. She, after all, was only a college student when she had me. Her name was Korina Spiros, and she was the daughter of Greek immigrants. Because of this, she look very Greek—a trait I had inherited from her. She had thick, curly dark brown hair she usually wore in a bun, light brown skin, and dark brown eyes flecked with green that you could only notice up close. She was all dressed to go out, wearing that pretty black dress she bought about a week ago with the late birthday money her parents sent her. She was beautiful, which brought her more trouble than good. I admired my mom so much for everything she did.

Mom looked over at the sound of me calling to her. "Eleni! Thank the gods you found her, Misty!" Her voice had a clear Greek accent, despite being born and raised in America. It was from growing up in Astoria, Queens, which some call New York's _Little Greece_. "Oh, you're… Wait… You're a demigod, aren't you?"

Lee's eyes widened as he realized she was addressing him. "Y-Yes, ma'am! I killed the storm spirit that attacked Eleni. I'm Lee."

Mom sighed, but finished wrapping the bandage around her arm before continuing. "I was afraid this would happen… Thank you Lee, for saving my daughter."

"Mom… what _happened_?" I asked.

She winced. "I was attacked by a storm spirit was well. The apartment took some damage, but I am fine, thanks to Misty. Just a scratch from the spirit knocking a vase into me."

Misty let out another booming bark, wagging her tail.

"Ma'am… I think Eleni needs to go to camp," Lee said reluctantly. "If you have a hellhound and I'm guessing who her father is correctly… it's far too dangerous for her to be out here all year. I would know. My father is Zeus."

Thunder shook the apartment. I flinched. Mom said nothing at first, looking down at the counter. I wondered what was going on in her head.

"...I was going to tell her father that today."

My eyes widened. "M-Mom… what are you talking about?"

She moved away from the counter, walking over to me. She took my hands into hers, and looked me right in the eyes.

"Eleni. Listen to me." Her voice was soft and quiet. "Our family has been blessed with supernatural abilities for generations—a connection to the world of spirits. But my abilities were… stronger than my father's. I… the simplest way to put it… can use magic. For years, I used this to manipulate the Mist to protect you. We moved around so much to avoid the monsters that came after you. And your father… he didn't want you to go to the camp. His children aren't always treated well there. He felt you would be happier staying with me. And I agreed with this. But now… it's just too dangerous. You need to go to Camp Half-Blood. There you'll be safe."

I… didn't know what to say. All of this was just… _insane_. I still didn't even know what _the Mist_ was. And the last thing I wanted to do was leave my mom behind.

It had always just been the two of us. Dad visited every year on my birthday, but I never really considered that as him being _there_. There was even one point in time, when I was five, that my mom tried moving on from him. But a lot of men were put off by her already having a child. My mom started dating this one guy, and they were together for half a year before he… _hit_ her. I saw, and when my dad visited on my birthday, I accidentally let it slip. Mom had broken up with the man, but he ended up… dying under mysterious circumstances the day after my birthday.

But we moved around a lot. I struggled in school because of my ADHD and dyslexia. I had zero social skills and it was extremely difficult for me to make friends. I also sort of… scared people, I guess. I'd been told I had _resting bitch face_. It also didn't help that I had inherited my mom's ability to see the dead. I had lost a lot of friends when I was young because I thought it was normal and told everyone about it.

"M-Mom-" I started to say.

"I know what you're going to say," she interrupted, before giving me a reassuring smile and squeezing my hands. "It's not like we'll never see each other again, dear. But… there's another reason I need you to go to camp." She paused, closing her eyes for a moment. "As you know, your father and I have been together for a long time… and we're expecting again. I was going to tell him today."

...Oh.

I… _wasn't_ expecting that. I never even considered that I would ever get a sibling. So it was _really weird_ thinking about it now. Gods… why couldn't I be _younger_ when this happened?

"But—But my birthday dinner..."

I knew it was selfish of me. But I was _so used_ to things going wrong in my life, I wished for once, something would go _right_. But I guess today was just not meant to be one of those days.

"I know," Mom sighed. "I'm so sorry, Eleni… I will make it up to you, I promise. But right now you need to go to Camp Half-Blood."

She was right, of course… So I just nodded. There was no point in trying to fight about this. She was doing this to protect me… and my unborn sibling.

"Okay, Mom," I muttered. "I'll go to this Camp Half-Blood."

She let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much, dear… Why don't you go upstairs and pack some things to bring with you?"

I nodded in agreement again. If I was going to live there indefinitely, I would need to bring some belongings with me. I decided to head upstairs and throw some things together. I tried not to think too much about this being the last time I'd be in my bedroom for a while. I grabbed my messenger bag from the last school year and opened up my closet to find some clothes to take.

A few shirts and jeans would be good… and of course my favorite sweater. It was black, super soft, and a bit oversized, but I loved it. I guess it was sort of a security blanket for me. I carefully folded it up before putting it into my bag. After making sure I had other necessities, such as toiletries and undergarments, I zipped it closed and flipped the flap shut, clipping it in place.

When I went back downstairs, Lee was nowhere to be seen. Misty was still there, however, sitting next to Mom and panting happily. I glanced around, feeling a bit confused.

"He went outside to wait for you," Mom explained. "Did you get everything you need?"

I nodded. "Yes..."

Mom smiled sadly, stepping up to me to pull me into a hug. "Everything will be okay, Eleni. We'll work something out, I promise."

I squeezed her tightly, pressing my face into her shoulder, wishing I didn't have to let go. "I'm gonna miss you..."

"I'm going to miss you too," she sighed, pulling back to look down at me. "But this is what you're meant to do. Stay safe and remember I love you."

"I love you too, Mom," I mumbled, stepping away. "Bye."

"Goodbye, dear."

I forced myself to leave then, turning around and heading for the front door. Misty followed after me. Stepping outside, I found Lee standing at the bottom of the stairs. I headed down them to reach him. He must have heard me, because he looked up.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked as I stepped down onto the sidewalk.

I nodded. "Yeah. How do we get to this camp?"

Lee winced. "Well, I need to stay here to make sure there are no other monsters around. Otherwise your mom might get hurt again… or worse. But the hellhound—er, Misty can shadow travel and take you there."

...Great. I would have to go there by myself. What if the campers tried to attack Misty? She was a monster, after all…

"But I have to give her permission to enter," he sighed. "I, Achilles Dalca, give you permission to enter Camp Half-Blood."

My eyes widened. "Your name is Achilles? Like the hero in the Trojan War?"

He grimaced. "That's why I go by _Lee_. Everyone _has_ to mention that."

"Oh. I'm sorry." I winced. "That would be pretty annoying..."

"You have _no_ idea," he muttered. "But anyways, Misty can take you now. I'll be back as soon as I can. If anyone questions who let you in, use my full name. They'll believe you. I only use _Achilles_ if I absolutely have to."

"O-Okay..." I looked over at the huge hellhound and then back at him. "What do I do? Just climb onto her back?"

Lee nodded. "Yeah, and tell her where you want to go. She should listen. I'll stay until you're successful."

Well, that was more reassuring. Adjusting my bag's strap on my shoulder, I walked over to Misty. I reached out to give her a scratch behind her ear before climbing up onto her back. I grabbed onto as much of her fur as I could. All right… well, here goes nothing.

"Misty, take us to Camp Half-Blood."

She let out another loud bark, and lunged forward, heading for the shady area under a tree. As soon as we went under the tree, we plunged into pitch darkness. It was cold and empty, despite it feeling like wind was whipping through my hair as we went faster and faster. And then suddenly it was light again, sunny and warm, as Misty came to a halt in some kind of forest. I was met with the smell of pine, but looking around I saw that there were some deciduous trees as well.

I carefully slid off Misty's back, landing on the ground. Ugh… I hoped we didn't have to walk far to get out of here. I wasn't good with the cardinal directions. Being outdoors was nice, but I got lost so easily.

"Let's go, Misty," I sighed.

The hellhound followed after me as I started walking, just going straight. I had to find the end of this forest _eventually_. It couldn't go on _forever_. And thankfully, maybe five minutes later, I found myself stepping out of it. There was a creek nearby, going back into the woods. But in the distance, I saw a group of buildings. I decided to head towards there.

A few minutes later, I reached the group of buildings. They were actually cabins, arranged in a half oval. I wasn't quite sure how many there were, but there were a _lot_. No one seemed to be around. My heart started beating faster with anxiety. Gods, why couldn't Lee have come with me?

"...but then he got hit in the head with the ball. Classic distraction by the Aphrodite girls. It was _hilarious_."

We walked around one of the cabins, and came across two teenagers, a boy and a girl, standing in front of an average looking cabin. But then a ray of sunlight struck it, and it lit up, gleaming like gold. I could barely look at them until the light faded away.

"Um, excuse me," I started to say.

"WHOA!"

The next thing I knew they had both drawn weapons. The girl had a bronze bow, but the arrow appeared out of nowhere, gleaming like sunlight. The guy had some kind of bronze sword—a _xiphos_ , by the looks of it. I immediately raised my hands to show I meant no harm, trying not to panic. Misty tensed, letting out a low growl as her hackles raised.

"W-Wait! We're not going to hurt anyone! Achilles sent us here! Achilles Dalca!"

Almost immediately they lowered their weapons, recognition flickering in their eyes as they exchanged glances. Misty remained tense, but stopped growling.

The guy gave a shrug. "Lee must have found a new demigod when going to see his mom."

"But..." The girl frowned. "She's kinda old to be a new demigod. The gods are supposed to claim us by the time we're thirteen."

She was around my age, and clearly African American. Standing a few inches taller than me, she had thick, wavy dark brown hair that fell down to her shoulders, dark brown skin, and striking amber eyes. She was wearing an orange t-shirt that I _think_ said _Camp Half-Blood_ on it, blue jeans, and a pair of purple sneakers. She was definitely built like an athlete, and if she was an archer, she definitely had to be one.

The guy shrugged again. "I'm not an expert on a deal made over fifteen years ago. We can ask Chiron about it."

He was also around my age by the looks of it. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a lean, muscular build that announced he was also an athlete. His wavy, ash brown hair was a bit tousled, his skin lightly tanned, and his gray eyes reminded of storm clouds. He was also wearing an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, jeans, and a pair of sneakers.

The girl let out an exasperated sigh but nodded. "Yeah, Chiron will know what to do." The two of them put away their weapons, and I noticed that hers turned into a cute bronze hair clip that she returned to her hair. "Sorry about that. My name's Cassie Harper, and this is Ray Wise. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

"Oh, um, I'm Eleni Spiros," I replied, still feeling very nervous. "Nice to meet you."

Ray flashed a brilliant smile. "And it's nice to meet _you!_ You said Lee sent you? Well, that explains how the hellhound got in here."

"Yes, um, he saved me from… an anemone—er, a storm spirit," I said. "Misty—my hellhound—protected my mom from one too."

Expressions of shock both crossed their faces. I guess that wasn't what they had expected.

"And lemme guess," Ray said, "Lee stayed behind to make sure there were no more coming?"

I winced, nodding. "Yes..."

"That such a _Lee_ thing to do," he groaned, shaking his head. "Gods, if he comes back with even a scratch on him, I'm gonna kick his ass."

Well… I guess he was very protective of his friend…

"So, um… you're demigods too?" I asked.

"Oh, right," Ray said, nodding. "My mom is Athena, the goddess of war strategy and wisdom, among other things."

"And my dad is Apollo," Cassie said, crossing her arms over her chest. "The god of the sun, light, healing, music, poetry, archery, reason _and_ prophecy. I'm not too lazy to list it all."

"Okay, okay, Athena is the goddess of war strategy, wisdom, handicrafts, and useful arts," Ray said in exasperation. "There. You happy now?"

"You… didn't have to tell me all of that," I said with a laugh. "I'm Greek—er, well Greek American. I'm familiar with the gods and goddesses."

"Huh, well that makes things easier," Cassie said. "You do have the look. Have you ever been to Greece before?"

"No, but I wish," I sighed. "I have family in Athens."

Ray grinned. "Athena's city. A good place to be."

"Of _course_ you'd say that," Cassie snorted. "Well, come on, we should find Chiron. I think he's at the novice archery class right now."

Ray made a face. "Paris helps with that class too."

"Don't remind me," she grumbled.

"Paris?" I echoed, a bit surprised. "Why would someone name their son after _Paris?_ He's not even a hero."

Ray shrugged. "Who knows? But there's barely anyone here that doesn't like Paris."

"Yeah, well, not _everyone_ likes him," Cassie said. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

Misty and I followed the two of them through the camp grounds. Every camper we passed did a double take at Misty, but none of them drew weapons like Cassie and Ray had. But… there was a _lot_ of staring. I guess seeing a friendly hellhound would do that. At least they weren't staring at me… or at least that's what I _hoped_.

The archery range, thankfully, was not too far from the cabins. As we got closer, I spotted a centaur, who I guessed was Chiron. Standing nearby him aiming a magnificent bronze bow, was a teenage boy who towered over the other campers, who looked like young children—maybe eight at the youngest.

"Chiron!" Ray called out. "Sorry to interrupt the lesson, but Lee sent a new demigod our way."

Of course, then, everyone's attention turned to us. And that immediately made me freeze up. Misty sat down next to me, panting happily, completely unfazed. I instinctively reached out to scratch her on the neck—except her neck was a _lot_ harder to reach now.

"Relax," I heard Cassie say quietly as the centaur walked over to us. "Chiron's cool."

I wasn't sure I would even be able to _speak_. It was finally sinking in that all the myths that my mom had told me over the years were _true_ —including the absolutely _insane_ ones. And that was honestly terrifying. I never even realized my mom _believed_ all of this.

The centaur stopped in front of us, towering above us, yet not intimidating. Even with thinning, slightly gray brown hair and a scruffy beard kept short, he didn't seem as scary as I thought he'd be. The horse part of him was snow white, and he was wearing a purple tweed jacket over a tunic, which was a… very interesting fashion sense.

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood," he said, smiling warmly. "I am Chiron, as you already know. You were sent here by Lee?"

I nodded. "Yes… he saved me from storm spirits. I'm Eleni Spiros."

"Lee stayed behind to make sure there were no other monsters around," Ray said in exasperation.

"Will Lee be okay?" I asked nervously.

"He'll be fine," Cassie said, waving me off. "Ray's just a worry wart. Storm spirits can't really hurt Lee anyways."

"Of _course_ I'm worried!" Ray huffed. "You'd be worried too if your boyfriend kept on running off to play hero!"

...Oh. Well, he had a point.

Chiron cleared his throat. "Children, please."

But then the other guy who had been over with the campers showing them how to use a bow—who I guessed was Paris—walked over to us. "What are you screaming about _now_ , Ray?"

My eyes widened as I got a good look at him. He looked about seventeen or so, standing at at least six feet tall, with an even more muscular build. Everything about him was… _attractive_. He had golden blond hair styled so that his bangs were spiked up, lightly tanned skin, and the same striking electric blue eyes that Lee had—very handsome. He was wearing the orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers that seemed to be the standard attire here. He was still carrying his bow.

Ray immediately scowled. "I'm not screaming. Why don't you mind your own business, Paris?"

Paris rolled his eyes. "Please. If there's a new camper, I need to be here to help."

Cassie seemed to want to say something, but stopped herself because Chiron spoke again.

"Children, behave yourselves," he said sternly. "You're not providing Eleni with a good example of what we expect of our campers."

"My apologies, Chiron," Paris said. "I meant no harm. Let me introduce myself. I'm Paris Leroy, the counselor of Cabin One—Zeus's cabin."

So he was Lee's brother? Well, probably half brother since they didn't really share any features other than eye color. I wasn't quite so sure why Cassie and Ray didn't like him. He seemed polite and charming. Was I missing something?

"No harm done, Paris," Chiron chuckled. "But we should get you settled in, Eleni. Cassie, please give her a tour of the camp grounds and take her to the armory to choose a weapon. Ray, inform Sam that there is a new camper who needs temporary quarters in Cabin Eleven."

"All right," Cassie said. "But I have a question real quick—did Will and Nico leave already?"

"Ah, yes, I believe they have," Chiron answered. "They finished their investigation rather quickly."

"What investigation?" I asked curiously.

The centaur winced, shifting on his hooves. "For the past month… every week, a camper has been found dead. The cause of death has been unknown. Due to Nico being the son of Hades, we asked him to look around camp to see if he could find any clues. Will, his husband, decided to come along to help."

My eyes widened with horror, chills running through me. Oh my gods… there were _murders_ happening?! That… that was horrible!

"So far, all the victims have been girls," Paris said grimly. "A couple were even Roman, from the exchange program we do with Camp Jupiter."

"There's a Roman camp?" I asked in surprise.

"Yeah, which I would _get_ to explaining if I got the chance," Cassie said with exasperation. "Let's go. It's too bad they already left, but oh well."

"O-Okay," I said, following after he as she walked away.

* * *

Cassie proceeded to show me around the camp, while Misty decided to stay with Chiron. The whole place was _huge_. I wasn't really sure hat I expected, but this wasn't it. And I was probably going to get lost. That was something I was _not_ really looking forward to.

"Here's the Forge," Cassie said, gesturing to a building that looked like a mash-up of a Greek temple and a train. The white marble was stained with soot, and smoke was coming out of the chimneys. I could hear people working inside, pounding away at metal. "The Hephaestus kids—Cabin Nine—are always working in there."

But then the door opened, and someone stepped outside. It was a girl, probably around my age, of Hispanic decent. She had long, pin straight jet black hair pulled back into a high ponytail, with fringe bangs falling down to right above her sea green eyes. Her skin was bronzed with tan, but her natural complexion was probably light brown. She was the first person I've seen not wearing the orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. She was just shrugging on a black leather bomber jacket over a black tank top that said something in white that I couldn't make out, black skinny jeans, _and_ black combat boots. Gosh, even I didn't wear _that_ much black.

"Who's that?" I asked, looking over at Cassie.

"Maia de la Fuente," she answered. "She's one of the exchange campers from Camp Jupiter, a daughter of Neptune."

My eyes widened. "She doesn't seem very… Roman."

Cassie snorted. "Oh, you haven't seen _anything_ yet."

I… wasn't sure how I felt about that.

"Heeey, Maia!" Cassie called to her, catching her attention. "Wait up!"

The girl stopped, looking very much irritated as she crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for us to catch up to her.

"What do _you_ want?" she demanded.

"Sheesh, I just wanted to introduce you to our new camper," Cassie said. "Maia, this is Eleni Spiros. Eleni, this is Maia de la Fuente."

"It's, um, nice to meet you," I said.

Maia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

"What were you doing in the Forge?" I asked curiously.

She let out an annoyed sigh. "Working, duh. I'm a legacy of Hephaestus."

"Legacies are descendants of the gods," Cassie explained. "You'll find them more at Camp Jupiter than here."

Maia scowled. "Yeah, well, if you'll _excuse me_ , I'm gonna check on the rest of the exchange campers who _aren't_ dead."

Before either Cassie or I could say anything, Maia shoved her hands into her pockets and stormed off. I… got the feeling that she wasn't the happiest nor friendliest person here… I wondered what on earth made her that way.

Cassie grimaced. "Sorry about that. Maia's… a piece of work. And that was her _behaving_."

...Oh gods. "I'll… keep that in mind."

But, hopefully I'd be able to make more friends here… despite whatever was going on.

* * *

 **Hello everyone, and thank you for taking the time to read this! This is the revamp of a fic I had about two years ago. I wanted to give another oc based PJO fic a go, and decided to use an old fic of mine as the basis.**

 **The story will follow six demigods, and chapters will alternate through their povs, like in HoO. I'm using a lot of motifs from the Trojan War, which you probably have noticed.**

 **I won't have many A/Ns after this, unless there's something I need to say.**

 **Again, thank you for reading, and I would love to hear from you in a review!**


	2. I See the Dead

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2: I SEE THE DEAD**

* * *

 **LEE**

* * *

 _Thursday,_ _June 23_ _rd_ _, 2033_

* * *

After I was sure that everything was safe and sound in the city, I headed back to camp. By the time I got back, it was well into the afternoon, approaching dinnertime. I could only imagine what Ray was going to say once he found me. I barely had time to slip inconspicuously to my cabin to drop off my belongings. When I stepped back out, there he was.

"Achilles Gabriel Dalca, what in the gods' names were you _thinking_?"

"Nice to see you too, Ray," I deadpanned.

Raymond Wise had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. We met here, of course. I first came to camp when I was seven, and the year after that, Ray arrived, with his five year old little sister, Olivia. Their father had been killed by monsters, and a satyr had barely been able to get them here safely. I helped initiate them into camp, and we had been friends ever since. I couldn't imagine life without Ray, and he made it pretty clear that I probably would be dead without him.

We weren't just _friends_ anymore, though. I had always known that Ray was gay; it wasn't a problem to me, unlike some certain _extremely opinionated individuals_. But a couple years ago, we both came to the conclusion that we liked each other more than friends, and started dating. I wasn't quite sure about the whole sexuality deal, but I didn't really care. I had more important things to worry about—like my half brother trying to kill me, my father being the king of the gods, and not being able to breathe outside the camp grounds without a monster finding me—than worrying about whether I liked guys, girls, or both.

"Lee! I'm being _serious_ here." Ray glowered at me, crossing his arms over his chest. "How many times have you ran off and played hero? Last time you did that, you broke your ankle in a sick twist of Fate."

"You _had_ to remind me of that," I groaned. "Look, I wasn't be reckless! There was a serious threat. Eleni nearly got zapped to a crisp by that storm spirit."

"Right. About that..." His head tilted to the side, like he always did when he was thinking. It was kinda cute, to be honest. "I'm not the only one who thinks that the fact that she has a _hellhound_ as a little fishy, right?"

"I think _spooky_ would be more accurate." I shook my head. "I dunno. Maybe we're jumping to conclusions. I mean, he hasn't had a kid since the World War II era. Why would that suddenly change now?"

Ray gave a shrug. "Don't ask me. I'm a _brain baby_. I'm not an expert on these things."

"You could've fooled me."

"Oh, don't you _start_." He playfully punched me in the shoulder. "Come on, let's go to the armory. Cassie should be there with Eleni now."

Fighting the urge to smile, I nodded. "All right. Lead the way."

He rolled his eyes at me, and started walking, so I followed him. Gods, it was nice to be back in camp, though. As much as I loved visiting my mom, I was always so anxious outside the monster warded borders. It always felt like something _bad_ was going to happen. Most of the time I was just being paranoid, but… I could never shake that feeling.

"How's your mom doing, by the way?" Ray asked after a moment.

"Good," I answered. "Her new clothing line is doing pretty well. I still don't really understand the whole fashion and modeling business, but yeah."

My mom, Veronica Dalca, was a former fashion model who recently took up designing her own clothes since she was past the age of modeling. She immigrated from Romania in her late teens in hopes of following the American Dream. And she did just that. She met my dad at the height of her career, and took leave to have me. She never dated or married after that. I guess my dad was special… which I'd never understand, considering how much of a jerk Zeus could be. But long story short, my mom is awesome and I wish it could be safe enough for me to live with her during the school year.

"Sweet!" Ray grinned. "Your mom's cool. She deserves it."

I laughed. "Yeah, she does. Maybe, if Chiron allows, we can go visit her for Christmas. Olivia can come too, of course. I know it's really far away, but I've been wanting to do that for a while now."

Like I mentioned earlier, Olivia was Ray's little sister. She was about thirteen now, I think? But for a daughter of Athena, she wasn't very… Athena-like. She has a wild streak. I'm pretty sure she drives everyone in Cabin Six crazy. I mean, she drives _me_ crazy.

"That'd be fun," he agreed with another grin. "But hey, we're here."

Lo and behold, we had reached the armory. It was, after all, just behind Athena's cabin. The armory wasn't as impressive as most new campers expect it to be. It's just a large metal shed—nothing too fancy. As we headed for the door, which was still open, I could hear talking inside.

"-don't think that's a good choice. Maybe something smaller?"

Ray took that as his cue to grab me by the arm and drag me inside. "Hey, Lee's back."

Both girls looked up at the sound of his voice. Eleni looked relieved, while Cassie did not seem surprised at all. She probably thought Ray was overreacting—which he _was_.

"Oh wow, that's a shocker," Cassie deadpanned. "Let me guess—there isn't a scratch on him either?"

Ray let out an exasperated sigh. _"Excuse me_ for being worried."

"Ray, I hate to break it to you, but you worry way more than me, and _I'm_ supposed to be the worrywart here," Cassie said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"She's got a point," I noted.

Ray pressed a hand to his forehead. "Gods, how about instead of picking on me, we actually help Eleni pick out a weapon?"

"Oh, um..." Eleni looked down at the huge foot locker they had been searching in, and reached inside to pull out something. "This caught my eye, actually..."

It was a dagger I immediately recognized as a parazonium blade. Or at least I assumed it was, just from the looks of the sheath, which was made of worn black leather and bound together with bronze. The hilt appeared to be made of polished wood. Eleni carefully slipped the dagger out of its sheath, revealing a triangular celestial bronze blaze around eighteen inches long, and it gleamed so much, it was reflective, like you could use it as a mirror.

...Wait a second.

"That's Katoptris," I said, a bit surprised. "I didn't know Piper returned it."

"Don't really blame her," Cassie snorted. "But anyways, like Lee said, that's Katoptris. It used to belong to Helen of Troy. She used it more as a mirror. One of the Heroes of Olympus—Piper McLean—used it too, but actually in battle."

"Heroes of Olympus?" Eleni asked, confusion flickering over her features.

"Er, I think that's a story for another day," I said. "Do you really want to take Katoptris? It gives… visions. And you can't really control them."

Plus another thing from the Trojan War being thrown into our chaotic situation was _not_ making me feel any better. It was bad enough that I already had legitimately suffered an injury to my ankle. Well… at least her name wasn't _Helen_. That would have been terrible. I'm not going to lie... This stuff makes me anxious.

"That's fine," she said, not taking her dark eyes off of the blade. "Having a weapon with history would be neat."

"Eh… suit yourself," Cassie muttered. "Well, now that that's taken care of, let's get outta here."

Eleni returned Katoptris to its sheath and then we all walked out of the armory. It was still weird seeing the camp function so normally even though there were murders going on. But even so, I knew that no one was handling it well. We were just pretending everything was okay for a sense of normalcy. The most recent victim had been a twelve year old girl—the little sister of Zeke Savage, the resident bully. I still could hear his screams of rage when he found out. Not even he deserved that. Hell, _nobody_ deserves that.

"So, um," Eleni began, looking up at all of us. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Not that I can think of," Cassie answered. "But we should get you settled into your cabin. Since you're unclaimed, you'll be staying in Cabin Eleven—Hermes's cabin. Once your godly parent claims you, you'll move into their cabin."

"Sam should be ready for her by now," Ray said, looking over to Cassie for a moment before turning to Eleni. "Sam's the cabin counselor. He's cool. He'll make sure your belongings are all locked up nice and tight so the other Hermes kids don't try to swipe them."

Gauging by the look on her face, that wasn't very reassuring. I didn't really blame her. The Hermes kids could be _brutal_. One of them stole from me when I was seven and temporarily staying in the cabin, waiting to be claimed.

"Ignore him," Cassie said. "He's an idiot. Sam made it rule that nobody can steal from the temporary cabin mates. But c'mon, I'll take you there and we can lose these losers."

Eleni nodded, and then the two of them headed off, leaving us.

"Hey, no one is more of a loser than you, Cass," Ray called after them.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Gods, my boyfriend could be such a dork sometimes. But that was one of the things I loved about him. But seriously, I was grateful to have such good friends here. Ray, Cassie, and I had all been at camp for a pretty long time—maybe the longest out of all of the campers here. Cassie arrived the same year as Ray and Olivia did, actually. I didn't know the entire story, though. She didn't like talking about it. But I do know she ran away from home.

"Well, it looks like it's just the two of us again," Ray said, looking over at me. "We should… do something."

"Like what?" I asked.

"I don't know… _something_." He scratched his chin.

"That doesn't help at all," I snorted. "But actually, let's go find Chiron. I want to talk to him about what happened today."

"That would be a good idea," Ray agreed. "Ugh, you should've seen Paris earlier. He's such a kiss up to Chiron it isn't even funny."

"I can imagine," I muttered, scowling.

I didn't exactly have the best relationship with my two half brothers. Paris was a complete asshole, and while his older brother Hector, who was a son of Jupiter, wasn't nearly as bad, he was very loyal to his brother. That left me as the odd one out of the three sons of the king of the gods. It also didn't help that Paris and I were named after enemies in Greek mythology. Hector and I got along decently when we saw each other, but having to live with Paris in Cabin One was Tartarus on earth. He was better than me in every way, and he made sure I knew that.

"I'm kinda worried that he's gonna get Eleni all smitten," Ray said. "I swear to the gods he might secretly be a legacy of Aphrodite."

"Let's hope not," I sighed. "She seems to have a level head on her shoulders, so maybe she'll see through all his talk."

"We'll have to wait and see, I guess…" Ray shrugged weakly. "It would just suck to lose another new camper to his posse."

"Let's just go find Chiron," I grumbled. "Paris is _not_ my favorite topic."

"You don't have to tell me twice!"

* * *

 **ELENI**

* * *

Now that I had my weapon, Cassie took me to Cabin Eleven—Hermes's cabin. It was by far the largest and most worn out cabin in the camp, with chipped dull brown paint and a caduceus overhanging the door. From what I had been told, all unclaimed children stayed in Cabin Eleven until they were claimed. And this would be my home until that happened to me.

That was a bit… depressing.

Cassie led me up to the door, but suddenly it opened. Standing in the doorway was a boy probably around seventeen years old. He was tall, with short brown hair, a deep tan, and brown eyes. He had a sharp nose, and upturned eyebrows, and I had a feeling he was a major troublemaker. He was wearing the usual orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and jeans, but this time with Converse.

"Hey Sam," Cassie greeted him. "Eleni is all ready to move in!"

The boy—Sam—smiled mischievously. "A'ight! I'll take over from here, then."

Cassie turned to me. "I have to go now, but if you need anything, just go to Cabin Seven. You can't miss it—it's gold and shiny. If I'm not there, one of my siblings can point you in the right direction. I'll see you later, Eleni."

"Oh, um, okay," I said, but she had already started walking away. "See you, Cassie."

"Sheesh, she never changes," Sam snorted. "Anyways, I'm Sam Stieber, the counselor of Cabin Eleven. Come on in and we'll find you a place… somewhere."

* * *

Cabin Eleven was overwhelming. It was almost packed already, full of Hermes's kids and other demigods that needed to be claimed, all under the age of thirteen, I noticed. Sam managed to find a bunk for me, though. He insisted on taking my backpack to put it away in the magically warded safe they had to ensure no temporary residents had their belongings stolen. I was reluctant to part with it, but I did. I decided to keep Katoptris, though.

Not knowing what else to do, I sat down on my bed, unsheathed Katoptris, and stared at the reflective blade, wondering if it would show me anything. For a few moments, nothing happened. All I could see was my own reflection. I looked… tired. More tired than I actually felt.

But then something flickered in the bronze, and my image disappeared. Instead, I saw… darkness. It was like shadows were dancing across the blade, but I wasn't anywhere where a shadow was being cast. But then the shadows began to solidify, taking the form of a vaguely humanoid blob. The form only lasted for a few seconds, before it exploded and the entire blade was engulfed with pitch black darkness. It happened so abruptly, I flinched in surprise.

What… _was_ that?

I didn't get much time to contemplate this, because then, the horn blew, signaling that it was time for dinner. We all lined up with Sam in the lead, and then headed to the dining pavilion. The line was ordered in seniority, so I ended up at the very end. Campers weren't the only ones coming either; naiads came out of the lake where everyone canoed and wood nymphs literally came out of trees in the woods. It was a bit disconcerting.

The dining pavilion was pretty impressive. It was surrounded by marble columns, with torches blazing around them. A fire burned in a large brazier in the center of the pavilion. There was a table for each cabin—all twenty of them—and each table was covered by a white table cloth with purple trim. It was a sight to see.

Cabin Eleven's table was a bit overcrowded, but not as bad as it could have been. We all managed to have a seat, although it was a bit tightly packed. I spotted Cassie sitting at Apollo's table with her siblings. Ray was sitting at Athena's table with a younger girl who looked a lot like him next to him. Was she his sister? Lee was sitting at Zeus's table with Paris, but they were both at opposite ends on different sides. I guess they really didn't like each other. Then there was Maia, sitting all alone at what I figured was Poseidon's table.

Finally, once everyone was settled, Chiron pounded a hoof down on the marble floor, and everyone shut up. He raised a glass. "To the gods!"

Everyone else raised their glasses, too, and I hastily did the same, though mine was empty. "To the gods!"

Then, wood nymphs came to each table with platters packed with food—barbeque of all kinds, fresh bread, grapes, strawberries, and even cheese. I hadn't expected it to be so… _Greek_ for some reason. The familiarity settled my nerves a bit, and my stomach growled quietly. I anxiously glanced around, feeling my cheeks heat up with embarrassment, but no one seemed to notice.

"Hey, you can tell your cup what you want to drink," Sam told me once he noticed I still didn't have a drink. "Anything you want—that's not alcohol, anyways."

I looked down at my glass, hesitating for a moment. "Oh, um... Dr. Pepper."

Deep, dark red liquid filled the glass, fizz foaming at the edges. I picked it up and took a tentative sip; it tasted just like I remembered, if not better. I hadn't had actual soda in ages. It was… nice.

Everyone was passing around the different platters, and soon we had all filled our plates. I was dying to eat already, but everyone was getting up with their plates and going to the fire in the center of the pavilion. What were they doing there, I wondered? Was it some kind of offering? That would make sense, considering how the Ancient Greeks worshiped the gods.

Sam stood up with his plate, and gestured for me to follow him. "C'mon, Eleni."

I got up as well, picking up my plate, and followed him to the fire.

"We have to make burnt offerings to the gods," he explained. "'Cause they like the smell."

Well, that answered my question. I didn't quite understand how the gods would like the scent of burning food, but it wasn't my place to question it. Once we got there, I saw that each camper was taking the best of their food and putting it into the fire.

Sam went before me, and bowed his head and tossed in the largest strawberry I had ever seen in my life. "Hermes," he said.

I was next, so I went up to the fire. For a moment, I hesitated. Um… what was I supposed to say? I didn't even know who my father was. So I silently thought, _"Just tell me who you are, please."_ I slipped a fat, juicy chicken wing into the fire. And when I caught a whiff of the smoke, it smelled absolutely nothing like burning food—it smelled like all sorts of good things all mixed together that you would think wouldn't smell good combined but did. It wasn't normal smoke. Though nothing about this was really _normal_.

We went back to our seats to eat our meals. Everyone chatted as they ate, though I mainly stayed silent. I generally was a quiet person, maybe even a little shy. It wasn't easy for me to start conversations or keep up with them. But I couldn't help but wonder what my mom was doing right now. Was she worried about me? I really wished I didn't have to leave…

What a wonderful sweet sixteen birthday today has been. I still didn't have many answers about myself. I had no idea which god had fathered me and gotten my mom pregnant again. I had no idea if my medium abilities were from my mom or a god now. All I had was to help me was a shiny dagger that gave me a vision that made absolutely no sense. Gods… I felt homesick already.

I was so deep in thought, slowly picking at my food as my appetite faded away, that I hadn't heard the faint whispering by my ear, or the chills running up my spine; then again, I was so used to it my body might not have even registered it as abnormal. I snapped to attention.

" _Can you help me...? I'm so confused... No one can see me..."_

I froze. Oh no, why here, right _now_ of all times?! I slowly glanced to the side, and saw a girl. Her colors were all washed out and faded, just like every ghost. She was obviously a camper—she had on the t-shirt. She was _gorgeous_ , like child of Aphrodite level gorgeous. She had wavy brown hair that fell down to the small of her back, and soft blue eyes. I hadn't seen many of the Aphrodite kids yet, but I didn't recognize her out of the ones I _had_ seen.

I returned my eyes to my plate. My thoughts immediately drifted to how Chiron had said that campers were being murdered. Oddly enough, she did not have any wounds on her. Ghosts always look like they did when they died, so it was obvious when one was a murder victim. I looked back at the girl, and kind of wished I could say something without alerting anyone at my table that I was seeing something. I didn't want them to think I was crazy.

But I had to say _something_. If this girl was a new murder victim…

"U-Um, Sam?" I asked nervously, my voice shaking a bit.

He looked at me from where he was chatting with another camper. "Yeah?"

"I, um... I need to tell Chiron something. It's... important."

He frowned, raising an eyebrow. "What is it? We're not supposed to leave the table."

"I... I think another camper may be dead," I relented, clasping my hands together under the table, on my lap.

Literally every demigod at the table froze in the middle of whatever they were doing, and looked over at us.

The ghost girl gasped, eyes widening with horror. _"Wait, what?! What's that supposed to mean?!"_

Sam looked pale as a ghost himself. "What... what makes you say that?"

I grimaced painfully, biting down on my bottom lip and squeezing my hands together tighter. "Well, um... I can, um... see... ghosts. And there's... one right next to me."

The ghost girl looked even more horrified. _"W-Wait, do you mean me...?"_

I winced, looking down at my plate, hating how all eyes were on me. "I'm so sorry... Sometimes when people die, they... don't realize they're dead... But... you are."

"Are you... talking to the ghost?" the camper next to Sam gasped.

I nodded, chewing on my bottom lip. "Y-Yes..."

Sam began looking around at each table. "Oh _shit_. Stella's missing. Stella Kline. From Cabin Ten—Aphrodite's cabin."

Well, that really supported my hypothesis… I looked back at the ghost, who was really starting to panic, and hadn't been paying attention. "Are you, um, Stella Kline?"

She jumped a little, snapping back to attention, her pale blue eyes locking on me. _"Y-Yes… that's me… I'm Stella."_

I closed my eyes and sighed heavily, my heart sinking into my chest. Gods, today could get any worse, could it? I hoped not.

"It's… her."

The whole table was stunned into silence. I really needed to tell Chiron. Her body was out there somewhere, and it needed to be found. I just hoped that Stella wouldn't be sucked into the Underworld—or however that worked—before I could ask her some questions about how she died. Maybe if she remembered something, it could help us get to the bottom of what the hell was happening to all the girls in the camp. I was scared as hell, but I couldn't just sit here and do nothing. If I could help, I would. I stood up.

"I'm, um, gonna-" I started to say.

But then everyone gasped again—even the ghost. I cut myself off, and noticed they were all staring at something above my head. Their expressions varied from horrified to shocked and everything in between. Confused, I looked up to see what it was. A black hologram of light that took the shape of some sort of helm hovered above my head. Wait a second! Was my father claiming me?! I had no idea what any of the gods' symbols were, except for Zeus's lightning bolt or Poseidon's trident, so I had no idea who it was.

"Oh my gods," Sam gasped, eyes wide. "This is not good."

That did not make me feel any better. I realized everyone was staring at me, and Chiron had begun to make his way over to our table. I felt more chills, and suddenly Stella the ghost vanished, dissipating into thin air. My hands darted to clench at the hem of my shirt, like I always did when I was nervous.

"It is determined," Chiron announced, though there was a grim edge to his voice.

A sense of dread filled me. This had happened so much quicker than I imagined. Slowly, the campers began to stand, and then kneel, though they all didn't look happy, and some of them seemed pretty angry. Well, all the campers but Lee, Paris, and Maia, who all looked various levels of shocked. That wasn't very reassuring.

"Hades," said Chiron. "Lord of the Dead, Guardian of Wealth, Undertaker of the Underworld. Hail, Eleni Spiros, Daughter of the Death God."

* * *

After that spectacle, there had been a major uproar. I guess no one expected Hades to have any more kids. I didn't know. I was just so overwhelmed; suddenly, everything that I had ever went through made sense. I had managed to tell Chiron about Stella, and they sent a search party out for her. Until then, we would have to wait, especially since her ghost had disappeared. The camp sing-a-long was canceled though, due to all the chaos, and because of the possible new death. I really wished I could have been more help with that…

Chiron took me back to Cabin Eleven to get my belongings, and then he personally led me to Cabin Thirteen—Hades's cabin, and my new home. It was intimidating in a way, made of pitch black obsidian, and with a skull hanging over the doorway. Eerie black fire burned in torches nonstop. It wasn't friendly at all, and now I felt even more ostracized from the rest of the camp.

I had always been an outcast, but I thought I had found a place to belong here. Instead, now I was an outcast among outcasts.

"Here is Cabin Thirteen," Chiron announced, looking down at me. "Hades's cabin. It hasn't always been here, like the twelve Olympians' cabins. It is thanks to Perseus Jackson that cabins thirteen to twenty were added after the second titan war."

"It's, um… very inviting..." I mumbled. "Who designed it?"

"That would be your half brother, Nico di Angelo," the centaur answered. "It's a pity he and Will left so early. Alas, I'm sure you'll get to meet eventually."

 _Nico di Angelo_ … the man that Cassie mentioned earlier. I had forgotten he was a son of Hades. Something about that name bothered me, though… like… it made me feel anxious for some reason. I couldn't understand why.

"But before you retire, there are some things you should know."

I looked down at the ground. "Let me guess… no one is very fond of Hades."

Chiron sighed, and I heard him shift on his hooves. "Indeed. It was... once considered very bad for Hades to have a cabin here at camp. Many beings—mortals and immortals alike—still find it very difficult to trust Hades, though he and his children have gained much more respect in recent years due to their roles in the war against Gaea. However, I advise you to be very careful. We have never had this many campers together at once that have relations to the Big Three—Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades—in many years. Paris and Lee conflict with each other enough as it is, and while Maia is only here for the exchange program this summer, she is still present. You four are extremely powerful demigods, and because of that, your presence is... not very welcomed. Even more so because you are over the age limit for claiming."

Of course… Lee and Paris were sons of Zeus. They were most likely adored. Maia may be Roman, but Poseidon got more respect than Neptune, if I recalled correctly. But Hades? He was the one who was tricked into taking the Underworld. He was the one no one liked. He was the one everyone misunderstood. I guess I fit as his daughter well. But why did he wait this long to officially claim me?

"I understand, Chiron," I sighed.

Just then, Misty came darting up, still a giant black mastiff. "WOOF!"

"Hey, girl," I said, reaching up to give her a scratch once she padded up to me.

She huffed contently, and sat down next to me. I was relieved to see her safe, with the whole _hellhounds are monsters_ thing. Chiron opened his mouth to say something, but then, the scouts who were searching for Stella came running up to us.

"Chiron, sir!" the camper exclaimed, his eyes wide with horror. "We found her! Stella...! S-She's..."

"S-She's dead," another camper—a girl I recognized from Aphrodite—choked out, already crying.

Chiron sighed heavily. "Very well. Take me to the body." He turned to me. "Get some rest, Eleni. You have had a long day."

I nodded tiredly. "If I see Stella again… I'll let you know."

"Thank you," the centaur said, turning to go. "Good night, Eleni. We shall speak in the morning."

Feeling weary, I watched Chiron leave with the search party. Once they were gone, I glanced over at Misty, who was still sitting next to me, but panting now. At least having her in my life wasn't something that had to change. Having Hades as my father explained why he gave me a hellhound to protect me, though.

"Keep watch," I told her, just in case. The victims were all girls, after all… "Night, girl."

I gave her one final scratch before heading inside.

Luckily, there was lighting inside the cabin. The walls were the blackest black I had ever seen, and gleamed from the light. Six bunks were set up, all of them empty and neatly done. For some reason, they resembled coffins. That was a bit… odd.. Had anyone ever lived in here before? I chose the bottom bunk furthest from the door, and plopped down on it. A wave of exhaustion hit me.

Ugh… so much had happened today. What a birthday. And nobody knew but Lee…

I made myself get back up so I could change into more comfortable pajamas, and then climbed back into the coffin-like bed. Wow, it was really soft. And within moments, I had drifted off to sleep.


	3. Hello Darkness, My Old Friend

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3: HELLO DARKNESS, MY OLD FRIEND**

* * *

 **ELENI**

* * *

That night, I had my first nightmare in a long time.

I found myself in front of the forest that Misty had jumped into when we first arrived at camp, all alone. It was dark, but nothing I couldn't see through; I had night vision, which I guess was another ability from Hades. But there seemed to be a different kind of darkness seeping out of the woods—a deep, shadowy blackness that no light could penetrate through. I couldn't see through it either. And negative emotions seemed to be emanating from it—terror, hatred, sorrow, rage, despair. It bombarded me, and I had to wonder what that thing was—it had to have a life of its own, right?

It… made me think of what I saw in Katoptris.

 _Oh, what is this?_ a sinister voice rasped from the shadows, like sandpaper grating against sandpaper. _A little lost hero._

Chills ran down my spine. The shadows crept closer, covering all the grass, and I had a feeling that it killed the grass, too. I had always been ale to sense when things died, and though I had a better grip on people, everything around me felt... _dead_. Like this impenetrable darkness was sucking the life out of everything it touched.

 _So you are the one my pawn is so very worried about... How pathetic._

The darkness was getting a little too close for comfort, so I tried to back up. But my legs wouldn't budge. They were frozen in place. I looked down to see that the earth had reached up around my shoes, fastening me to the ground. It almost looked like hands. Panic began to creep up on me. This felt… _too real_ … like this was more than a dream.

"Wh-Who are you?" I managed to ask, looking up from my feet. "Or... _what_ are you?"

There was silence, but I could sense that this being was laughing at me, like my struggles amused it. _You cannot escape me, little hero. I am everywhere. I am the fuel to your power. I am the home of your sire._

Wait, the Underworld? No no, that couldn't be right. This was literally darkness coming at me. Was there a personification of darkness? A god of shadows? No... This thing felt much more ancient—older than the gods, older than the titans... It was ancient and powerful... like some kind of primordial being. There had to be something like that in all of the myths my mom had told me. But for some reason, no matter how hard I wracked my brain, I couldn't remember the name.

 _You have great potential, such possibility... Perhaps you are even more useful as a pawn than my little traitor…_

Wait, what? There was a traitor?!

I was so distracted by the being's words and my own thoughts that I didn't realize the darkness was on me now. Tendrils of pitch black slowly crept up my trapped legs, encasing me in deathly coldness. Soon I couldn't feel my feet, ankles, or legs at all. I felt weak, like the shadows were draining the life right out of me... Can you die in a dream?

 _Fear the dark, O daughter of the dead._

I desperately tried to move, to break away from the darkness's hold on me, but it was useless. I could no longer feel whatever it touched. I couldn't even feel my heart racing inside my chest once the darkness crept up past it. I was immobile now, as it slunk up my neck, slowly covering up my head. A scream bubbled up in my throat, but no sound came out. The darkness covered my eyes, completely engulfing me.

 _"_ _Eleni! Wake up! E_ _LENI_ _!"_

I jolted awake, gasping for air I suddenly didn't have. "I… I'm awake! I'm awake!"

Cassie had me by the shoulders, looking very worried. Looking around, I was startled to see the very same pure darkness from Katoptris's vision and my nightmare retreating to the corners of the cabin. Cassie released me, and I dropped back down on my bed.

"Gods… You slept in, so Chiron asked me to wake you up," Cassie said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I sure as hell did not expect to find you being…"

"Being… _what?_ " I asked.

"I came over here, and your hellhound was going berserk—growling and barking. Then I came inside and… you were completely covered by… blackness." Cassie's amber eyes flickered down to the floor. "It retreated when I started to shake you, but you still wouldn't wake up. Gods, I thought you were _dead_."

"I had… a nightmare," I said quietly. "It felt… like I was dying. Cassie, what if… what if that's how the murders are happening?"

She scowled. "Then you need to talk to Chiron ASAP. Hurry up and get ready. It's past noon."

* * *

 _Friday, June 24th, 2033_

* * *

I got ready as fast as I could, throwing on a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and pair of shorts I had packed. I was still a bit shaken from my near death experience, but I managed to pull myself together. After avoiding being slobbered all over by Misty, I gave her a good morning scratch, and we started walking to the big blue house that Cassie called, well, _the_ _Big House_. I noticed that all the other campers were pretty much shying away from us—avoiding me like the plague. I was used to it, but after thinking I had finally found the place where I belonged, it hurt.

We reached the Big House, and Cassie scaled the front steps to open the door. I followed after her hastily. We went inside, and I could hear talking further in.

"...have to find out who killed Stella." That sounded like Paris. "I… I can't believe she's dead."

"Oh, _now_ you care, huh?" a gruffer, but higher pitched voice demanded—Maia, maybe? "When it was little girls and Romans you didn't seem to give two shits."

"I have _always_ cared, de la Fuente. This is just… harder. Stella was my _girlfriend_."

"Will you two knock it off?" I heard Lee snap. "Arguing isn't going to make this any better!"

Cassie and I entered the living room then. Just like I had guessed, Lee, Paris, and Maia were already here, standing off to the side of a table, where Chiron, who was in a wheelchair, a fat man, a satyr, and a redheaded woman all played pinochle, like they were used to the bickering. In fact, the adults didn't even seem to notice our entrance.

"Gods, what are you fighting about now?" Cassie demanded as we walked up to them.

"Oh, you know the usual," Lee deadpanned. "Maia can't get along with anybody, much less Paris."

"It's not my fault he's an insufferable _gilipollas_ ," Maia muttered under her breath.

...I wasn't sure what that last word meant, but I don't think I wanted to know.

"If you're going to insult me, speak English," Paris snorted, clearly unfazed by her bad attitude. "But anyways… onto more important things. It's good to see you up, Eleni. You had a long day yesterday. How are you feeling?"

"Oh, um..." For some reason, I felt my cheeks start heating up. "I'm okay, I guess… I'm so sorry about Stella… I, um, overheard you talking about her."

Paris grimaced. "It's not your fault. I'm sure we'll find the bastard that's doing this sooner or later. Hopefully sooner with your ability to see the dead helping us. But I'm glad to hear that you're doing okay."

Maia made gagging sounds. "Ugh, your girlfriend's only been dead for a day and you're already hitting on someone else."

"So asking someone how they're doing after having a hard day is considered flirting now, huh?" Paris inquired, raising an eyebrow. "Gods, if only someone told me being a _decent human being_ was considered _flirtatious_. You have my humblest apologies, Eleni."

Maia scowled something fierce, her hands clenching into fists. "You _piece of_ -"

"Children, that's enough."

We all looked over to see that Chiron had wheeled himself over to where we all were standing. It was strange to not see the horse part of him, but it made sense that he'd need something like a magic wheelchair to allow him to enter buildings.

"Chiron, I really think Maia should go back to Camp Jupiter," Paris told him. "She could use the discipline."

"There is no way in _hell_ I'm going back there until the end of summer," Maia spat. "Chiron, you can't seriously listen to him!"

The centaur sighed. "I called both of you here for this meeting, as children of the Big Three. You must try to get along."

"That's what I've been trying to tell them!" Lee exclaimed with exasperation.

"Um, what was this about a meeting?" I asked, speaking up.

"I have called a meeting to discuss the recent events," Chiron told me. "I was not going to ask you to join us, as you are still settling in, but since you are here, you may as well."

"There's something Eleni needs to talk to you about, sir," Cassie put in. "Something that could help with the case."

"Then the meeting is a good of a time to share as any." He began to wheel himself back to the table. "Please join us, children. Including you, Cassie."

About a minute or so later, we had all gathered at the table. Every sitting there turned their attention to us. I suddenly felt anxious, hating being in the spotlight.

"Let me guess..." The chubby man looked up from the game, annoyance swimming in his watery, bloodshot blue eyes. His hair was a mess of curls so black, they looked purple at first glance. He was wearing a tiger-striped Hawaii shirt, Bermuda shorts, and purple running shoes. He looked… very… _drunk_. "This is our new hero? What was your name again? Helen Spencer?"

I winced. "Um, it's Eleni Spiros."

"This is Mr. D, the camp director," Chiron introduced.

Mr D…? Wait… was this Dionysus?

"Before you ask, Helen Spencer, yes, I am the god you are thinking of." Mr. D returned his attention to the pinochle game. "Underwood, it's your turn."

The satyr, who had wildly curly brown hair and brown eyes, hastily looked down at his cards. "O-Of course!"

The woman appeared to be in her early thirties, and she had frizzy bright red hair that went down to her shoulders. Freckles splashed across her cheeks, and she had deep green eyes.

"I'm Rachel Dare, the Oracle of Delphi," she said, introducing herself. "It's nice to meet you, Eleni."

I don't know why, but I didn't think of there being an Oracle. I was a bit surprised. But she seemed nice enough. That helped me relax a little.

Chiron cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention. "There is much to discuss, but I shall start at the beginning, for Eleni's sake." He paused for a moment. "For months now, ever since the beginning of the year, campers have been mysteriously turning up dead once a month, but now, recently, it has been once a week. There has been so clear cause of death for these victims. And every single one of them have been female."

"At first, the victims were older girls," Paris added. "And only Greek campers. But then some campers from our exchange program with Camp Jupiter showed up dead. But nobody under the age of fifteen died until Billie, Zeke Savage's little sister, turned up dead. She was only twelve."

"Mostly Romans have died this month," Maia said bitterly. "There are barely any girls left to go back to Camp Jupiter with me and we haven't even been here for a month yet."

"It's gotten really bad lately," Lee sighed. "Some girls are afraid to go anywhere in camp alone. Everyone's trying to act like everything's okay and nothing is wrong, but it's still obvious that we're all terrified."

I bit my bottom lip. "I think… I may know how they're dying. I had… a dream."

Chiron raised an eyebrow. "A dream? It is common for demigods to have visions."

"Well, more like a _nightmare_..." I grimaced, but was secretly relieved that there was a reason for my vivid dreams. "In my nightmare, I… heard a voice. And there was… darkness. That darkness enveloped me. And Cassie says she found me covered in darkness in my cabin. It went away when she woke me up. But I… I thought I was dying."

"It was like she was dying, too," Cassie inputted quietly. "I think that darkness—whatever it was—drained her of her energy and suffocated her. But there were no signs of either once it was gone."

Silence fell across the table. Even Mr. D and Grover ceased their game of pinochle. The quiet was heavy, making me feel uneasy again. I knew this news would be troubling, but I hadn't expected a reaction like this.

"I, um, saw a vision about the darkness in Katoptris, too," I added.

Chiron's lips pressed into a firm, hard line, and he looked to the Oracle. "Rachel, I believe it is time we told them of the prophecy."

Rachel nodded grimly. "I agree. About fifteen years ago, I received another prophecy. It goes like this…

 _Darkness falls across the land,_

 _Sealing half-bloods' fates with its brand._

 _Hardened hearts seek Olympus's fall,_

 _And an unlikely hero will end it all."_

More chills ran down my spine. The mention of darkness and fate made me feel sick to my stomach. The entire prophecy was a bit confusing, but the first part— _Darkness falls across the land, sealing half-blood's fates with its brand_ —made me think of the mysterious murders. But I could put one thing together about the second part… _Hardened hearts seek Olympus's fall_ made me think of how that dark being mentioned a traitor.

"So… you think the prophecy is connected to the deaths?" Cassie asked.

Chiron nodded. "It is the only explanation... However, we have contemplated over this prophecy many times, and it still doesn't quite make sense to us."

"I know, I know," Rachel sighed. "I mean, what does that darkness part mean? It gets dark every night. But your visions help it make more sense. We just need to think more about it."

What had the shadows told me in my dream? _Fear the dark, O_ _daughter_ _of the dead._

Whoever—or whatever—our enemy was, the key was the darkness.

"I'll keep an eye out for Stella," I said. "If she can remember anything, and she had the same dream as me, then we'll know how the victims are dying."

And more importantly… we had a way to save them.

* * *

After the meeting ended, Cassie took me back to my cabin to get Katoptris and then down to the arena, where they did all their training. When we got there, there was a sparring session going on. I recognized Ray immediately, but the boy he was fighting was a new face. They both had swords with blunt edges, which I guessed were used for training. A girl who sort of resembled Ray was on sitting on the sidelines, cheering him on. Cassie led me over to her.

"C'mon, big brother!" she hooted. "You can kick Blackstone's ass any day!"

Big brother? So Ray must have a little sister after all.

"Lemme guess," Cassie said. "Ray's going easy on Dom again?"

"No duh, that's all he ever—oh hey, you're the new girl!"

She hopped up onto her feet and nudged Cassie to the side a little, since I was standing off behind her. The girl had to be around thirteen or so, and she was on the short side, even shorter than me, and rather skinny. She had long ash brown hair that was pulled into messy high pigtails that went all the way down to the small of her back, with shorter strands loose and falling down with her bangs. Her eyes were stormy gray just like her brother's. She was wearing a long sleeved off white shirt with a gray owl on it that hung loosely from her small frame, dark blue jean short shorts, and black Converse. She had a red flannel shirt tied around her waist, and I noticed she had a band-aid on her nose, one on her thigh, and one on each knee.

"Hi, I'm Olivia Wise, Ray's sister." She flashed a cheeky grin. "You're Eleni, right? That's a pretty name."

"Oh, um… thank you." I smiled sheepishly. "You're a daughter of Athena, then… right?"

Olivia's nose scrunched up. "Yeah, she's my mom. She's okay, I guess."

"Let's sit down and watch the fight," Cassie said.

I was relieved for the reprieve from socializing, and sat down next to Cassie on the benches surrounding the arena. Ray and the other boy, who Olivia had called Blackstone, were still exchanging blows. Neither appeared to be getting the upper hand. Ray's opponent had to be around our age, and was about the same height as him, but skinnier. He had slightly shaggy black hair, lightly tanned skin, and I think blue eyes. It was hard to tell from this distance.

"Who is that?" I asked, turning to Cassie.

"Dominic Blackstone," she answered, looking at me. "He's a son of Hecate, so swordsmanship isn't his forte, but Ray's been helping him get better lately. Just in case."

I supposed that made sense… "I guess you're not good with a sword either, then."

She snorted. "No way. The first and only time I picked up a sword, I nearly stabbed myself with it. Bows and arrows are my best options."

I looked down at Katoptris, which was tucked away in its sheath and tied around my waist. I wondered what it would be like fighting with a knife. I wonder if I should learn how to use a sword as well. What could it hurt?

"Do you think Ray could teach me?" I asked, looking up at her.

"Sure, maybe," she answered. "He's not the best teacher, though. That'd be Aeneas—but he's all the way in Camp Jupiter."

"Aeneas?" I echoed, surprised to hear another name from the Trojan War.

She nodded. "Yep. He's a son of Venus and the centurion of the Fifth Cohort. Nice guy, which is shocking considering how Aphrodite's kids tend to be. It's Camp Jupiter's turn to come here for our annual get together, so you could ask him to help you train while they're here."

"Oh… um… I don't know..." I bit my bottom lip, looking down at my hands. "I'd probably be too shy to even talk to him… He sounds intimidating."

"Intimidating?" Cassie laughed. "He's really not that bad. Though I guess with a name like _Aeneas_ , it makes him seem that way. I don't blame Lee for hating his full name."

"If you say so..."

We both grew quiet then, returning our attentions to the match. I doubted I would get to try out a sword today, but I was fine with that. These past two days had been overwhelming enough.

* * *

Capture the flag was tonight. Zeke Savage seemed especially eager to bust some heads since his sister died. The flags were held by Athena and Ares, which apparently was the usual. I was taken by Athena—after Ray had persuaded his relatives—and that put me on the same team as all of my friends, thankfully. I was still incredibly nervous about the whole thing.

"You'll be fine," Cassie reassured me as we geared up. "I doubt they'll have you do much anyways, since it's your first game."

"I hope so," I mumbled.

Just then, Lee came up to us. It was a bit startling for me to see him in armor, with the helmet with a blue plume like the rest of us. I guess I just didn't expect it to… _suit_ him so much. I was still getting used to being surrounded by warriors, I guess.

Lee grimaced. "I have a feeling Zeke is going to go all out today... Maybe Paris, too. Be prepared to heal later, Cassie. I know you're not the best healer in Cabin Seven, but still."

"If they need _me_ to help with the wounded, you know it was bad," Cassie muttered. "But I hear you. I'll be ready if they need me."

Lee looked over at me after a moment, hesitating. "Try… Try not to get hurt, Eleni. You're on border patrol. You should be safe there, and there isn't much to do. That's where we usually put the younger kids and new campers."

"I'll try not to get maimed," I sighed, not feeling very confident.

He winced. "Capture the flag isn't so bad, I swear. It's fun… when you can actually fight."

"And other campers aren't out for blood," Cassie deadpanned.

"Don't remind me," he muttered. "Well, I'm off. Be careful, you two."

I watched him walk off, and then meet up with Ray. They exchanged a few words, shared a brief kiss, and then went their separate ways. Something about that made me feel sad. When I looked back at Cassie, she was standing up. Anxiety began to creep up on me as I realized she was going to leave.

"All right, I should go too," she said, slinging her quiver onto her back. "I'm part of the flag's defense. Good luck, Eleni."

"You too," I said, hating how my voice shook with my nervousness.

So I ended up standing by a creek, which did not reassure me; it made me wonder if Poseidon hated my guts too. I unsheathed Katoptris and stayed on guard, tense with anxiety. I kept looking around, trying not to miss anything. For a while, nobody came nearby. But then Zeke Savage arrived, along with a couple of his hooligan buddies.

I had already had a bad experience with Zeke. Earlier today, after watching the sparring match, I went off on my own since I didn't want to keep on burdening Cassie with following her around everywhere. I was unlucky enough to bump into him and a couple of his brothers. They decided it was a _brilliant_ idea to haul me to the boys' bathroom and shove my head into one of the toilets. Paris caught them and scared them off, but the damage had been done. I had spent most of the hours between then and now cleaning myself and trying to get rid of the stench of sewage. Ray had wanted to avenge me, but Lee told him to save it for tonight.

Zeke was a total brute, despite being younger than me—six foot three with broad shoulders and muscles like a bodybuilder. His dark brown hair was cropped short in a buzz cut, and his dark eyes reminded me of a pig. He was around fifteen years old. Just seeing him making his way towards me send a wave of panic rushing through me.

Gods, what was I going to do?! All I had was my dagger and a shield I was being lent, along with the armor.

"Hey, look!" he exclaimed, breaking out in a toothy grin. "It's _Corpse Breath_ again!"

He and his friends laughed like it was the funniest thing ever. My mind was racing a mile a minute, trying to think of some way to survive this without getting hurt.

I flinched as they reached me, splitting off into a half circle in front of me. Hastily raising my shield in a last ditch effort to protect myself, I took a step back, almost tripping on a stone and falling into the creek. That earned me more laughter.

"Awww, what's the matter, Spiros?" Zeke taunted, smirking at me. "Are you all _scared_ because your little boyfriend isn't here to save you this time?"

"Wh-What?" I sputtered, gripping the shield so tightly my knuckles were turning white.

He rolled his eyes, looking back at his friends for a moment. "You know who I'm talking about, bitch. _Paris_. You got a thing for sons of Zeus, huh? Too bad one of 'em is a _faggot_."

I tensed, feeling a flare of anger. "Don't talk about Lee like that."

"Or _what?_ You'll _cry_ me to death?" All three of them guffawed. "You think we didn't hear you bawling like a baby in your boyfriend's arms?"

My anger faltered, challenged by a wave of shame. After what happened in the bathrooms, I lost my cool and just broke down in tears. Paris had tried to calm me down, but it was no use. I had been humiliated by them and by myself.

"Sh-Shut up..." I squeezed my eyes shut. "Please… just… just leave me alone."

"Awww, did you hear that? She wants us to leave her alone. How cute… Too bad we'll never listen!"

I opened my eyes just in time to see him lunging at me, brandishing his bronze spear. The next thing I knew, my shield had been split in half by the spearhead and I was falling. I landed into the creek with a splash, completely drenched by the water, and Katoptris was wrenched from my fingers, disappearing into the dark water.

But then a dark blur leaped out of the shadows, letting out a vicious bark. Misty landed protectively above me, shielding me with her large body. Zeke and his idiot friends stumbled back in shock. For a moment, all I could do was stare up at her, too. Oh my gods… What if they killed her?! If I lost Misty… I had no idea what I would do… She was one of the few constants in my life.

I… I had to do something…

I quickly looked around, trying to think. It was dark, as night had fallen by now. I could… _sense_ the darkness. It wasn't sinister like the shadows in my nightmare. I never realized it, but… maybe this was why I had been comfortable in pitch black rooms even as a little girl. I could feel the darkness, and I knew this kind wasn't going to hurt me. I wasn't sure what I would even be able to do, but I focused hard on the shadows around me, hoping something would happen.

And then suddenly, Zeke and his siblings were shrieking—like little girls, cursing in English and Ancient Greek alike.

"I CAN'T SEE I CAN'T SEE _I CAN'T SEE!_ "

"GODS, ME EITHER!"

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU _DO_ TO US?!"

Misty backed away, and I scrambled to my feet, searching for my missing dagger as quickly as I could in the dim light. I felt around the bottom of the creek, skimming my hand over rocks and dirt until finally my fingers touched celestial bronze. I hastily grabbed Katoptris and stood up.

The boys were stumbling around, rubbing their hands over their eyes uselessly. I could see darkness blanketed over their eye sockets, blinding them. Someone I had done that… I had power over darkness. This was another gift from Hades… my father.

I pointed Katoptris at them, even though they couldn't see. "Drop your weapons and I'll give you your eyesight back."

They glanced around, pointlessly trying to look at each other. Misty shifted beside me, baring her teeth and letting out a low, threatening growl.

"F-Fine… Fine!" Zeke snapped. "We… surrender. You _win_."

All three of them released their weapons, and they fell to the grassy ground. I waited for a moment, before willing the darkness to leave their eyes. The shadows slipped away, disappearing back into the night. They gasped and all looked at each other, relieved.

"Eleni!"

A familiar voice caught my attention, and I turned, lowering Katoptris. "Lee!"

He skidded to a halt next to me, only to tense once he noticed Zeke and company. "Are you all right? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine. Misty helped me take care of them."

He let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad. But the game's over now—we won. Sam captured the flag."

"But you… don't seem too happy," I said slowly, frowning.

"Well..." He sighed heavily. "It's because… Kendra Bello from Cabin Ten found another body."

My eyes widened with horror. "Wh-What?"

He nodded grimly. "Chiron wants everyone back to their cabins right now."

I looked down at Misty, who let out a worried whine. I sighed, looking back up at my friend, and nodded. I shouldn't have been surprised that someone else had died—not after everything I had learned today. It was just… terrifying.

"Let's go, Misty," I said quietly.

We left with Lee, with Zeke and his friends trailing behind us. And I had a twisted feeling in my gut that I would be seeing more ghosts soon.


	4. We Try Not To Tempt Fate

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 4: WE TRY NOT TO TEMPT FATE**

* * *

 **LEE**

* * *

 _Saturday, June 25th, 2033._

* * *

Any sense of normalcy that Camp Half-Blood had been holding onto was long gone.

Back when the first death occurred, Chiron told us all to stay calm and that we'd find the killer in no time. But now, months later, we still hadn't caught them and the death toll was rising even faster. Everyone was scared, but tried their best to hide it. But now? No one was bothering trying to hide it anymore. This was the first time we had _two_ deaths in one week—Stella Kline and now Emma Driscoll, one of the Roman exchange campers, a legacy of Mercury.

Chiron had struggled to keep everyone from outright panicking after capture the flag, and our victory was quickly forgotten. It was chaos, honestly. Some people were blaming Eleni for the deaths, due to the strange circumstances surrounding them and, well, she was the daughter of _Hades_. I felt bad for her, being dragged into this mess right when she arrived at camp.

Today, Chiron called a meeting after breakfast for all of the cabin counselors. Even though I wasn't the counselor of Cabin One, I usually attended such meetings, because I was a child of the Big Three. I made sure I told Eleni that that included her, though, as the only camper in Cabin Thirteen, and then we walked to the Big House together. We were the last ones to arrive, and when we stepped inside, I saw that the entire room was loud with everyone talking over each other.

"Gods..." Eleni breathed, her eyes wide. "Everyone's fighting..."

Well, not _everyone_. By the looks of it, Sandy Flowers, the counselor of Cabin Four, Demeter's cabin, and Sam were trying to get everyone to calm down. It didn't seem to be working very well. I spotted Cassie—she was the counselor of Cabin Seven as the most senior camper there—and headed over towards her. She was one of the few people here _not_ arguing.

"Wondered when you were gonna show up," she commented as we joined her where she was standing to the side of the chaos, near the wall. "Gods, they're fighting like cats and dogs."

"When is Chiron going to get here?" Eleni asked, fidgeting and gripping the hem of her shirt.

I sighed. "He should be here soon. I think he was seeing off Mr. D. He got called back to Mount Olympus."

"If that isn't a sign that something is going down, I don't know what is," Cassie muttered.

"...I still haven't seen Stella again," Eleni sighed dejectedly, looking down at the wood flooring. "Or Emma at all, for that matter."

"Don't beat yourself up about it," I said. "Maybe they went to the Underworld, where they're supposed to be."

"But that doesn't help us _here_ ," she mumbled.

That _was_ true… Gods, it seemed I fail at everything—including trying to cheer my friends up. A sigh escaped from my lips. This was just so messed up. I couldn't help but wonder what exactly was going on at Camp Jupiter. We hadn't really heard from them recently. I hoped no one was dying there like they were here.

We grew quiet as the arguments continued. Looking around at all of the counselors, I was glad for once that Ray was not the counselor of Cabin Six. He would've fed right into the tension. Sometimes I seriously questioned how my boyfriend was Athena's son when he wasn't levelheaded like most of his cabin mates. Olivia, too, for that matter. But they were both smarter than they looked. Ray could have his serious moments, but they were hard to come by.

I spotted my half brother, realizing he wasn't involved in the fighting. He was off to the side like us, leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room. His arms were crossed, and he was staring at the floor, brows furrowed like he was thinking about something that unsettled him. Well, this entire situation was unsettling. I would be more worried if it _wasn't_ bothering him.

Moments later, the front door opened, and Chiron wheeled himself inside. And he didn't even have to raise his voice. As soon as the door clicked shut, everyone in the room froze. A heavy silence fell as he wheeled himself to the table. The other counselors moved out of the way to make room for him. Paris stood up straight and walked over as well, so we did the same. Soon everyone was gathered around the table with Chiron.

Chiron cleared his throat, shifting in his wheelchair. "I'm sure you all know why we have gathered here."

Most of everyone nodded, but still no one said a word. There really wasn't anything to say. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Eleni seemed even more anxious than earlier, playing with the hem of her shirt. I guess she didn't like being in large groups. I couldn't really blame her for that. I was just used to it.

"The deaths have escalated further, and the camp has fallen to chaos," the centaur stated grimly. "But we have an opportunity now that we did not have before. Eleni..."

"M-Me?" Her voice cracked as her eyes widened. "Um, I mean… yes, Chiron, sir?"

"You, as a child of Hades, can go to and from the Underworld," he began. "You can visit the Underworld to find answers there—whether from the dead or from Hades himself."

...Well damn. That was a good point.

Paris frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you calling for a quest, Chiron?"

"We must take action, Paris," the centaur answered, meeting his gaze. "And no one is better suited for this than Eleni."

"Yes, because sending someone who doesn't even know how to _fight_ is a good idea," Paris argued, shaking his head. "I agree we need to do something, but I'm not so sure this is the best way."

"What would you suggest instead?" I asked. "Eleni can see spirits, but we don't even know if the victims' spirits are still around. It would be better to just go to the Underworld. Hades could know something for all we know."

He narrowed his eyes. "It will take you over a week to reach the Underworld. More campers could die by then. And how do we know Hades isn't behind this himself?"

Eleni stiffened, and for the first time since meeting her, I saw her scowl. " _Excuse_ me? Don't go shooting accusations around. The killer could be anyone. Who says it isn't Zeus?"

I let out a nervous laugh. "Hey now, no need to get all hostile, guys. I think we can all agree that we need a quest to find answers."

"Okay, how do you propose you'll get there before anyone else dies?" Gods, Paris wasn't letting up. "It's all the way in Los Angeles."

"That's easy," Cassie snorted. "Eleni has a hellhound. Hellhounds can shadow travel. And Eleni should be able to too, so they can work together to go longer distances."

Eleni looked up at me. "Is that how Misty brought me here?"

I nodded. "Yeah, that's shadow travel."

Chiron cleared his throat, and everyone else fell silent. "What do you say, Eleni? Are you willing to lead this quest?"

She bit her bottom lip, hesitating for a moment before nodding. "Yes. I'll lead the quest to the Underworld."

Paris let out an exasperated sigh. "If you're so dead set on this, I'll go with you. Someone has to make sure you don't die."

As much as I hated admitting it, Paris was a good choice as a companion. He had been on quests before—and succeeded. But most of us remembered his first quest more than the others. About three years ago, Paris was given a task by our father, Zeus. There was a hydra terrorizing a town somewhere in the country. I'm not sure where exactly anymore, but Zeus told Paris to slay it. So Paris chose two of his friends from each camp—Penelope Seabrooke, daughter of Poseidon, and Aeneas Belrose, son of Venus—and they went on this quest to slay the monster.

They were gone for a while—and honestly, I enjoyed having our cabin to myself—but they succeeded. But it didn't… turn out the way Paris wanted it to. He had intended to come back as a hero, the slayer of that hydra. But he didn't end up killing it. The story went that, during the battle, Penelope got hit by the monster's acid spray. Paris was distracted by her, and the hydra would have killed them both if Aeneas didn't slay it. Aeneas came home the victor, not my half brother. I'm not sure how Zeus took that, but Paris proved himself in later quests.

But Penelope had left camp to join the Hunters of Artemis about two years ago, so their days of being a power trio were long gone. Aeneas was too busy as a centurion to even visit outside of our annual get together. And I think Paris resented him for one reason or another.

"Oh, um..." Eleni's cheeks tinted pink. "Thank you, but… I rather have Lee come with me."

"Huh?" My eyes widened. "Me? You want _me_ to go with you?"

"Better you than him," I heard Maia grumble where she'd been sulking off to the side.

I was just shocked. No one ever picked me over Paris when it came to things like this. I mean, it made sense… I had saved her life and brought her here. But… it was still _weird…_

Paris ignored her to give Eleni an incredulous look. "Really? _Lee?_ "

"He saved my life," she stated matter-of-factly. "He's strong, and I trust him. If I have to go to the Underworld, I want people I know I can trust."

I almost winced at the undertones of her words. Gods, she was pretty much saying _I don't trust you_ to his face. I didn't think she had it in her, honestly. Eleni seemed so shy and timid, but here she was, taking a stand and not letting Paris force himself into her quest as a companion. I knew he helped her after she was bullied by Zeke and his cronies yesterday, and that's why I was a bit confused. Maybe she actually listened to us when we warned her about Paris after all.

"All right," I said, speaking up before my half brother could say anything else. "I'll go with you."

I had never been on a quest before… This could finally be my chance to shine and not be shadowed by Paris. Everyone expected me to be a hero because of my namesake, and when I failed to meet their expectations, they stopped caring about me. But I would _show_ them—as _Lee_ , not Achilles. And if I did so by helping a friend, that made it even better.

This was my chance to stand up to Paris too.

Paris scowled. "Fine. I would still offer to go with you, but having three children of the Big Three on one quest would be asking for trouble."

Thank the gods… He got the message and backed off.

"Quests require three people," Chiron said. "Who else would you like to accompany you?"

"Um..." Eleni turned towards her one other friend in the room. "Cassie?"

Cassie grimaced. "Sorry, but… I'm not really a _questing_ person. Better ask someone else."

It had always been like that with Cassie. She never really left camp, other than visiting Camp Jupiter or New Rome. She had never been interested in going on quests either. One had been offered to her once, but she turned it down. And now it continued with her saying no to Eleni. I never understood why she was so hellbent on never going on a quest.

"What about Ray?" I suggested quickly, before she could get visibly upset. "I'm sure he'd be game for going on a quest."

If I had to choose anyone, it would be Ray. Cassie would be my second choice, of course, as one of my closest friends here. But I knew Ray better than anyone. Maybe I was a bit biased—I mean, we're _dating_ —but he was tough. And if anyone had to think of a plan on the fly, he was great at it. I trusted him with my life. We were a great team. Whenever I was with him, I felt like we could do anything. Even visiting the Underworld would be a piece of cake with him by my side.

"Ray would be a wise choice," Chiron agreed with a nod. "But first, you must speak with the Oracle to receive a prophecy for your quest."

* * *

About an hour later, Rachel had arrived to meet with Eleni. During that hour, we spoke with Ray, and he wholeheartedly agree to accompany us on the quest. I was relieved; I didn't know who else would be willing to go with us. We also agreed to go with Eleni to talk with Rachel. We returned to the Big House for the meeting.

"So you need a prophecy for this quest of yours?" Rachel inquired as she sat down at the table across from us. "Well, ask away, Eleni."

Confusion flickered over her face, and she hesitated. "Okay… um… what will happen when I visit the Underworld?"

Rachel closed her eyes, and for a moment, all was silent. She seemed to fall into a trance, and I assumed that meant the Spirit of Delphi was taking over. A few more moments passed where nothing happened at all. But finally… she spoke.

 _"Return from the land of your sire,_

 _To witness a situation most dire._

 _Swords will be drawn,_

 _Brains against brawn._

 _Fear the dark, Child of the Dead,_

 _For one must die in your stead."_

A heavy silence fell as the words sunk in. Oh _gods_ … the prophecy basically said someone was going to _die_ … I felt frozen, my stomach twisting into knots. I had had enough of death these past six months. I didn't want to lose anyone else.

Rachel came out of her trance as we all just kind of… _stared_ at her. I glanced away to look at my friends. Eleni's bottom lip was quivering, and Ray looked… steely. At least he wasn't visibly freaking out, I guess. It could be worse, I suppose. It could say we _all_ would die.

"Well..." Eleni sighed. "I really _have_ to go to the Underworld, then."

I just hoped… whoever had to die… wasn't someone I care about. That would be unbearable.

* * *

 **AENEAS**

* * *

"That's _not_ how you use a gladius! You don't cut and slash with it—it's meant for _thrusting!_ Try again."

It was another day of rigorous training, and I swear to the gods, I'd make soldiers out of these _probatio_. They joined the Fifth Cohort, and they would _not_ shame us. The six of them faced off with their respective sparring partners again. I crossed my arms over my chest and watched them. Gods, that was _much_ better.

Damn, it was hot today. The sun blazed high in the sky, radiating its heat down on us. I lifted my hand to wipe the sweat off of my forehead before it could drip into my eyes. Earlier, I had asked Vince to come down at some point so we could show the _probatio_ what a _real_ sparring session looked like, but he hadn't shown yet. He was probably off slacking somewhere.

A loud yelp snapped me out of my reverie. Looking towards the sound, I saw that one of the girls, whose name escaped me, had gotten rapped hard on the thigh—hard enough to knock her down on one knee. I let out an exasperated sigh, and headed over.

"What happened over here?" I asked, trying not to sound _too_ harsh.

The other girl who had made the attack huffed. "She wasn't paying attention, so I hit her. _Hard_."

I raised an eyebrow, turning to the injured girl. "Why are you distracted, _probatio?_ "

A dark blush flooded her cheeks. "Oh, um… it's just… you're so _distracting_ , Aeneas."

I gave her a hard, unamused look. "Flattery won't help you improve as a soldier. This better not happen again."

"Yowch, did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed again?" an all too familiar voice called from across the training field.

I turned, and there he was—Vincent Soldati, son of Bellona, and my best friend for as long as I could remember. We were born the same year, but he was already seventeen, and my birthday was still a couple months away. A bit on the short side, he was a couple inches shorter than me, and had messily shaggy dark brown hair, lightly tanned skin, and hazel eyes. He sauntered up to me, hands shoved into the pockets of his shorts. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"About time you showed up," I commented, giving him a withering look. "What took you so long?"

"Yep, you woke up on the wrong side of the bed." He not so gently grabbed me by the arm. "If you'll excuse us, ladies, I need to have a word with your lovely centurion."

"Hey-" I started to protest, but it was pointless. Once Vince had his mind made up, there was no changing it.

I let him lead me away, out of earshot and eyesight range from the _probatio_. He released me, and I pulled my arm away, giving him an irritated look. Gods, of all times to have a conversation, he had to pick now, right when I was in the middle of a training session.

"What is so damned important that you had to pull me away from my job?" I demanded.

Vince crossed his arms over his chest, looking the most serious I had seen him in months. "It's time for an intervention, Aeneas. You're a workaholic. You work _too much_ , dude."

I narrowed my eyes. "I'm a centurion. It's my duty."

He groaned. "What are you gonna do, then? Marry your duty? You can't take Rome home with you, Aeneas. I don't think she'd be good in bed anyways."

...Not this shit again.

"...Vince." My voice was flat. "I am _not_ listening to this again."

"I'm serious," he retorted. "Do you remember how you got to your bunk last night?"

I hesitated, trying to think. "...No."

"You were staying up late doing senator paperwork and passed out. I found you like that and had to haul you back to the barracks—which _killed_ my back, by the way. Last week you started nodding off on Aurelius during a drill. Oh, and remember how you were so tired you spelled your own name wrong while filling out a college application?"

...Okay, he had a point. I did almost fall off of Aurelius, my pegasus. And I spelled my name wrong on that college application… I didn't want to admit it, but he was right. I sighed heavily, and reached up to rub my eyes.

"I still don't see how this has anything to do with girls."

"Of _course_ you don't." Vince shook his head. "Look, dude, all I'm asking for is for you to take a _breather_. Find a cute girl. Go on a date. Have some fun. It'll be good for you."

"Why does it have to be a date?" I asked wearily. "Why can't we just—I dunno—hang out like old time's sake?"

"Well yeah, we can, but you still need to go on a date for gods' sake," he answered, not backing down. "You're _Aeneas Belrose_ , Son of Venus, Centurion of the Fifth Cohort, Slayer of the Hydra. Yet you've never been on a date—too busy running the Twelfth Legion all on your own. Any girl in this camp—hell, maybe even Camp Half-Blood—would jump into bed with you without a second thought."

"I don't _want_ that," I retorted. "Gods, have some class, Vince."

"Dude, _I_ don't do that. Was just saying they would." He let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, man, I'm just asking you to expand your horizons. We won't be in the legion forever. And I'll be damned if I let my best friend end up forever alone."

I rubbed my forehead. "I don't know, Vince. The only girl who ever treated me like a regular person was Penelope, and she's off with the Hunters of Diana now. And even before that, we were just friends."

Those were the days—back when I was still close friends with Paris and Penelope. It was almost bizarre how quickly that changed. We went on quests together, fulfilled prophecies, made our godly parents proud… But then, two years ago, Penelope came to me with a secret she made me swear on the River Styx to never tell anyone. About six months later, she jointed the Hunters of Diana, and I haven't seen her since. And Paris… he seemed to loathe me now, for some reason.

Vince sighed heavily. "Yeah, I remember. But like, it doesn't have to be serious, dude. You're only sixteen. You don't need to find the love of your life. I just want you to learn how to relax, and since you're _obviously_ not gonna listen to me, a girl is your best hope."

"Sorry Vince, but I'm not interested."

"...What about guys, then? Are you into them instead?"

"No," I groaned. "Gods, why is this so damn important to you?"

"Because you're my _best friend_." He looked right into my eyes. "You stayed with me when shit hit the fan, and helped me through it. You're running yourself ragged, Aeneas. Claudia even talked to me about it. She's _worried_ about you. You're so damn busy taking care of everyone, you don't have time to take care of yourself. And if you think I'm just gonna stand back and let your workaholic self drive you to the hospital, you're sorely mistaken."

I stayed silent. Maybe… Maybe he was right. Maybe I was working too hard.

But it was difficult _not_ to work my ass off. So much was expected of me. My father was Alexandre Belrose, a legacy of Mars and former praetor. He did great things, and I was expected to follow in his footsteps. And for the most part, I had. But I was also named after _Aeneas_ , the first Roman demigod who shared the same mother as me. I had to live up to my name as well.

That's why I worked so hard and pushed myself so much. I could not show an ounce of weakness. I had chosen to let Claudia Guerrero, daughter of Mars, become the new praetor instead of me because I felt I was not ready for the position yet. She was older and more experienced, hence her being far more suited. I can still remember my father's disappointment when I told him the news.

Vince knew this. He knew why I _couldn't_ relax. Failure was not an option. It was not in my vocabulary.

I closed my eyes, and took a breath. "Vince, I appreciate your concern, but I _can't_ relax. Especially not now, with all these deaths. I promise I'll try to get more sleep, but that's it."

For about a month now, our Greek exchange campers have been turning up dead. There were no signs of the cause of death. They just… died… for no reason. It freaked everyone out, but Claudia and Hector Leroy, the other praetor, were forcing order to continue and not allowing any deviations from routine. Hector also ordered that we weren't to contact Camp Half-Blood about it until we knew what was going on.

Vince sighed. "I guess that's better than nothing. But I'm _not_ giving up on you, Aeneas."

I managed a tired smile. "I didn't expect you to."

He rolled his eyes and reached over to playfully punch me on the shoulder. "How about you go take a short nap. I can take over for the rest of your training session."

"I can-" I started to say.

" _Aeneas_. You need to _rest_. I'll get one of the Somnus kids if I have to."

"...Fine."

* * *

I was woken up from my nap to be told that the senate was meeting.

It wasn't surprising, but a slight annoyance. Senate meetings tended to be tedious, and not all of my fellow senators were pleasant company, in my opinion. Still, I had no choice but to attend. So I hauled myself out of my bunk, spent at least five minutes fixing my hair and clothes, and left for New Rome, where the Senate House was.

I was, thankfully, not the last to arrive. But I had barely stepped inside when a familiar voice called to me.

"Aeneas."

I turned to see none other than Claudia approaching me. Normally one would get worried when a praetor approached you alone, but I considered her a friend. She was eighteen years old, built tall and lean—taller than me, even. She was Hispanic, and it was obvious with her long wavy black hair, bronze skin, and brown eyes. She also had a roman nose, which I thought added to her elegance. She was dressed in her armor with the purple cape of a praetor draped over her. One thing marred her beauty, however, and that was the long scar that cut into the corner of her mouth.

"Claudia," I greeted her. "Did you call the meeting, or did Hector?"

"Hector did," she informed me. "Paris sent him an Iris message. It was urgent, apparently."

Just like their namesakes, Hector and Paris were brothers. The main difference between them was that Hector was a son of Jupiter, while Paris was a son of Zeus. Hector was just about done with his ten year service to the legion; in two years, he would be retiring. It would be sad to see him go. He was a good man and soldier, someone we all aspired to be like. I hoped someday to be as good of a praetor as him. His loyalty to the Twelfth Legion was unquestionable, but sometimes I wondered if his loyalty to his brother would ever interfere with that someday.

"I see," I said, frowning a little. "That kind of breaks the protocol he called for. I wonder what's going on at Camp Half-Blood."

"I imagine it's similar to our own situation if Hector saw it urgent enough to disobey his own rule," Claudia responded. "Well, we'll find out soon enough. But since you just arrived—have you seen Aurelia?"

"I'm right here."

We both almost jumped in surprise, turning towards the voice. And there she was, Aurelia Clark, our young augur. It was strange having a camper with a name close to my pegasus's, but she arrived _after_ I got him. She was only thirteen, a daughter of Apollo who was gifted in prophecy more than anything else. A tiny little thing, she only stood at five feet, and looked like she was made of skin and bones. She had wildly curly platinum blonde hair that fell all the way down to her waist, a pale complexion, and milky gold eyes. She was completely blind, and had been that way since birth. Still, she had the entire layout of the camp memorized and never got lost. She was wearing the purple Camp Jupiter t-shirt, shorts, and a pair of flip flops.

Claudia frowned. "Where's Berenice? I thought she was supposed to come with you."

"I _was_ , until _someone_ had to run off."

Berenice Victor skulked up to us, looking sullen as usual. She was a daughter of Victoria, and one of the most athletic campers here. She was around the same age as Aurelia more or less, making her twelve or thirteen. She wore her brown hair boy short, her skin was tanned from being outside a lot, and she had brown eyes. She was, ironically, wearing athletic gear from Nike.

"Sorry," Aurelia apologized, glancing in her friend's general direction. "I just got excited because the birds told me I would see Maia again soon."

...Right. Aurelia could be a bit… eccentric. She couldn't see to perform the usual acts of divination, so she saw the future in… _other_ ways.

"Er, I hate to break it to you, Aurelia, but Maia isn't here," I said. "She's still at Camp Half-Blood with the others in the exchange program."

"I doubt my cousin would be eager to return so soon," Claudia added dryly.

Aurelia frowned, and shook her head. " _No_. We will see her again soon. The birds never lie."

Maia de la Fuente was Claudia's second cousin, a girl unlucky enough to be the daughter of Neptune. I didn't know the full story, as Claudia was rather secretive, but apparently Maia's mother, who was cousins with Claudia's mom, died in a freak accident in Afghanistan years ago. Both of their mothers were in the US Air Force. But Claudia's mom took Maia in and raised her as her own daughter, and eventually Claudia brought her cousin to Camp Jupiter to be safe. Her mom had since finished her enlistment and moved to New Rome to make life easier for the girls. But Maia never was happy here at Camp Jupiter… She was treated poorly, due to the fear of Neptune. Claudia did her best to protect Maia, but still, the younger girl had been all too eager to go to Camp Half-Blood for a summer.

"Ugh, you and your birds," Berenice grumbled.

"Claudia, something big is going to happen." The augur looked up towards her, nearly making eye contact. "I can feel it, and the birds are whispering so much… They've never been this noisy. And I had a dream—a vision. Helen is returning to us."

"Helen?" I echoed in confusion. "We don't know a—gods. You mean _Helen of Troy_."

She smiled dreamily, and nodded. "Yes. She'll be carrying Katoptris when she comes home."

...Gods, I did not like the sound of this.

"Are you crazy?" Berenice demanded. "Oh wait, I already know the answer. Yes, you are."

"Aurelia…" Claudia started slowly. "We should discuss the entirety of your vision with the rest of the senators."

She smiled and nodded. "Okay! Let's go, then."

We exchanged glances, and I noted that Claudia looked worried. She didn't like the sound of that any more than I did. While it was true that the destruction of Troy brought about the birth of the Roman Empire, the Trojan War was also the root cause of our conflicts with the Greek demigods in the past. We didn't need that to happen again, not when our camps were finally united and staying that way for the past fifteen years.

We headed into the senate room then, with all the rows of seats for senators. I spotted my fellow centurion of the Fifth Cohort, Melanie Lavigne. She was a daughter of Bacchus and a legacy of Jupiter. She was sixteen, the same age as me. Melanie was Roman to the core, and I respected her for that, but we differed when it came to… _ideologies_. She broke the rules when it suited her, and how she managed to get away with it all these years, I had no idea.

"If you'll excuse me, I should join Melanie," I said to Claudia.

She nodded. "We'll speak afterward."

I parted from them then, and walked over to where Melanie was sitting, legs crossed, looking bored out of her mind. She had her long, pin straight dark brown hair pulled back into a perfect high ponytail like usual, without a single hair out of place. She was fair skinned, and had eyes the color of dark red wine. She was wearing a black tank top as opposed to the Camp Jupiter t-shirt, dark blue jean shorts, and lace-up ankle boots. Her gaze darted over to me as I sat down in the seat next to her.

"Did you enjoy nap time?" she asked, her husky voice a mix of teasing and taunting.

I fought the urge to scowl. "Haha, very funny."

She snorted back a laugh, covering her mouth with an enclosed fist. "Gods, you are too uptight. It's hilarious, honestly."

"I'm glad I entertain you."

Melanie said nothing this time, lowering her hand. "Have you heard what this is even about?"

"Something about Paris sending Hector an Iris message," I answered. "And Aurelia had a weird vision. It seems like a storm is coming, Melanie."

She was quiet for a moment. "Not surprised. Nothing has happened for a long time. And there's that prophecy the Greeks told us about."

I nodded. "Yeah. Shit is going down. And soon."

She turned to look at me, a smirk playing on her lips. "Well, look at that. The great Aeneas Belrose actually _swore_. Maybe the Styx will finally freeze over."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, please. I'm not a saint."

"You sure _act_ like one."

I fought the urge to sigh. _Here we go again_. The bickering never ended with Melanie. Literally. She always found something to argue about or disagree on. I seriously questioned how we got _anything_ done. It truly was a mystery to me.

The praetors called everyone to attention then, and the entire room went silent. I saw that both of them were in their seats. Seeing Hector reminded me of just how _intimidating_ he was. He was over six feet tall—which was obvious even when he was sitting down—and he was probably the most muscular guy in the entire camp. He kept his dark blond hair short in a buzz cut, his skin was tanned, and his eyes were a shocking electric blue. He was also wearing his armor with the purple praetor cape draped over him. He was around nineteen years old.

"The first order of business..." Hector began, clearing his throat. "In a few days time, three Greeks will be arriving. They are on a quest, and will be stopping here to rest and recharge. We know two of them—Achilles Dalca and Raymond Wise. The leader of the quest is a new demigod that has recently arrived at Camp Half-Blood. Her name is Eleni Spiros and she is a child of Hades."

My eyes widened. A daughter of Hades? That was news. Hades hadn't had a demigod child in a century, more or less. That… was not reassuring. All of the Big Three had children now. If that wasn't a sign of a war coming, I had no idea what was.

"Did Paris tell you all of this?" Claudia inquired, looking over at him.

"Yes," Hector answered curtly. "He wanted to let me know so we can prepare to give them a warm welcome here in Camp Jupiter."

A warm welcome, huh? Why did I get the feeling that there was more to this than he was letting on? Or maybe I was just paranoid after what Aurelia said about this vision of hers.

"All right, well, we should get moving on that since we don't know when exactly they'll arrive." Claudia glanced around the room, before her gaze fell on us. "Aeneas and Melanie. I'm putting you and the Fifth Cohort in charge of our future guests and the preparations that need to be made to welcome them."

"As you wish, Claudia," I said.

"We'll make Camp Jupiter look good," Melanie added with a playful smile.

"Well, that was sorted out easily, so moving on… Aurelia's vision-"

"Is pure imagination," Hector interrupted abruptly. "It's absurd to even consider the possibility of another Trojan War. We are friends with the Greeks, and we have done nothing to bring their wrath upon us."

...That was arguable, considering how the only campers dying were _Greeks_. Perhaps my suspicions were correct after all.

Claudia narrowed her eyes. "Hector, we've thoroughly discussed how our generation of demigods is dangling precariously on the edge of tempting Fate. Too many are named after heroes—and villains—of the Trojan War. I don't think I need to list who. Names are powerful. You can't say that those named after the heroes and villains of the past aren't influenced by them."

"Thanks for the reminder, Claudia," I muttered under my breath.

Hector remained silent for a moment or two. "Your concerns are valid, but I don't believe we're at any threat. Our focus should be directed towards whoever is committing these strange murders."

Claudia sighed. "You have a point. Very well, we should discuss ideas of how to handle this. We don't need our guests finding out and then going home to tell everyone else."

Hector's dismissal of the possibility still had me suspicious, but I would respect Claudia's decision. We _did_ need to get a move on solving these murders. But it was hard when we had no evidence whatsoever.

All we could do was hope and pray that the truth would not continue to evade us.


	5. I Face Myself

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 5: I FACE MYSELF**

* * *

 **ELENI**

* * *

 _Sunday, June 26th, 2033._

* * *

I found myself, once again, packing my belongings to leave. I put together some extra outfits of clothes, seeing as I had no idea how long we'd be away from camp. I made sure I had my toiletries sorted out nice and neat. There was the pouch of golden drachmas that Chiron had given me yesterday, which was apparently the currency of the gods, and I carefully tucked it away in one of the hidden compartments inside my messenger bag. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to carry Katoptris around with its sheath tied to my belt, even with the Mist, so I decided to just leave it in my bag. Once I was sure everything was set, I zipped it shut and clipped the flap into place.

I took a moment to just close my eyes and take a deep, steadying breath. I had only just come to Camp Half-Blood three days ago, and I already had to leave again. I had to travel with two boys I didn't know particularly well, to a place none other than the _Underworld_. Even if that was where my father lived, it was still where the _dead_ go for all of eternity. Living people aren't supposed to go there, even if a few heroes have done so in the past.

Not to mention, no matter what anyone did, someone was going to _die_. Because of _me_. I had the nagging feeling in my gut that it was going to be either Lee or Ray. And that terrified me. I wished I never agreed to go on this damned quest. I didn't want anyone else to die…

I moved closer to my bunk to pick up my lucky sweater, which I had left out. Touching the soft fabric soothed my nerves, and I pulled it on. There was a chill coursing through the camp, from the vicious thunderstorm that had been raging outside the magical barriers early this morning. Thankfully, it had stopped. I had left my raincoat at home. After slipping the side braid I had pleated my hair into out from under my sweater, I grabbed my messenger bag and pulled it on, leaving the strap draping across my torso.

After giving Cabin Thirteen one last look around, I stepped outside. Glancing up at the sky, I saw that it was still overcast. At least Zeus had calmed down _somewhat_ … Misty was laying down in front of the cabin in her usual spot. I was a bit surprised to find Cassie petting her, though.

I walked over to them, and Misty's ears perked up. I reached out to give her a scratch. Cassie stood up straight, watching me for a moment before speaking.

"Hey, this is probably _not_ what you want to hear right before you start on your quest, but..." She gave me a serious look. "I'd be extra careful. Zeus was probably trying to kill you by sending those storm spirits."

I grimaced. "I already kinda figured that out, but thanks for the warning."

"You should be safe since Lee's with you, but..." Cassie scowled. "He's not exactly _Daddy's favorite_."

I had also figured that out rather easily. The favorite was obviously _Paris_. At first I had tried to give him the benefit of a doubt. Paris was handsome, seemed nice, and even saved me from Zeke and his buddies. But after he had the _nerve_ to suggest that Hades was responsible for the deaths… I found myself no longer able to like him. I was beginning to understand my friends' disdain for him. I was trying _not_ to hold a grudge against him, but that was easier said than done.

"You don't have to remind me," I muttered. "I really don't get why everybody loves Paris."

"And here we were, worrying you might be added to the long _Girls Smitten With Paris_ list," Cassie snorted. "But yeah, he's got the whole camp twisted around his finger. I really doubt he actually had feelings for Stella."

Stella, the one ghost I actually saw… Just thinking about her made me sad. I wondered if she really had gone to the Underworld, now that she knew she was dead. We would have to try to look for her once we got there. Emma Driscoll, too.

" _Gross_ ," was all I had to say to that. "Blond boys are cute, but… _no thanks_."

Cassie laughed. "I can second that. Er, about Paris anyways. Blonds aren't really my thing. Anyways, you're all set to go now, right?"

I managed a smile and nodded. "Yeah. I really wish you could come, Cassie." It would've been so much easier to have a girl along.

"Yeah..." She sighed, casting her eyes downwards for a moment. "Just be careful, Eleni. Lee and Ray will look out for you, but they can't _always_ protect you."

That was something I was _very_ aware of. Yesterday, I had sparred a little with Ray in an attempt to learn how to actually fight with Katoptris. It left me bruised badly enough to be allowed a little sip of nectar to make it go away. I wasn't a _fighter_ like they were… or at least, I just needed time to learn. I hoped that was just it.

"I will," I said quietly. "We'll see you in a few days. Bye, Cassie. Come on, Misty."

The hellhound heaved herself up onto her feet, and followed after me as I walked away from my friend and my cabin.

"See you later, Eleni."

* * *

"Okay, we should try to get as far as we can on foot before using shadow travel," Ray suggested once we had been driven out of Camp Half-Blood by Argus, the one hundred eyed security guard, who I was slightly surprised about being, well, the _camp security guard_. "We don't know how shadow traveling will affect you, Eleni, since you'll be helping this time."

We stopped on the side on the sidewalk we had been dropped off at in Manhattan. The dark clouds in the sky gave off a sense of foreboding—at least to me. They were making me nervous, like any moment a bolt of lightning could strike me down. I noticed that the weeds sticking out of the cracks in the pavement were starting to wilt away. Dammit, I hated it when that happened. It reminded me of how I could never grow a bean plant in elementary school.

"Right," Lee agreed after a moment. "So, should we take a bus, then?"

"What do you think, Eleni?" Ray asked. "You're the one who's lived here for all of your life."

I snapped to attention right as the weeds finally died. "Oh, uh… Misty is with us. She can't ride the bus."

We all looked down at the hellhound—who was now so thickly covered in Mist, she looked like a black German Shepherd even to us. I had her on her leash, so not to break the law. Not being able to see through the Mist meant I didn't have to be as weirded out about having a _hellhound_ on a leash.

"Crap, she's right," Lee groaned. "We're gonna have to walk, then."

"We're walking through _all_ of New York City..." Ray reached up to run a hand through his hair. "Gods, this is gonna be _fun_."

"Maybe we should do a test run of shadow travel?" Lee suggested nervously.

Ray shook his head. "No, it's too risky. Eleni could pass out, and then what would we do?"

"I could… pass _out?!_ "

Both boys winced. _That_ was the cost of shadow travel? I might fall unconscious from using it? Gods, I wasn't so sure about this anymore. It wasn't that I didn't trust them. I chose them for my quest because I did. But being unconscious when we could be attacked by monsters at all moment… That was very worrisome. Especially with the prophecy saying someone would die because of _me_.

"Well, I guess we should start walking then," Lee sighed dejectedly.

"And I'll explain what I know about shadow travel as we walk," Ray muttered.

Ugh… This was going to be a long day.

* * *

It was noon, so we took a break for lunch. We found a hot dog stand—simple, but good enough. Lee and I split the bill since Ray didn't have any regular money. We found a bench to sit down on and eat. I was relieved to give my feet a break. I left Lee and Ray to chat amongst themselves. I wasn't feeling very talkative at the moment—not that they were actively trying to include me in the conversation anyways.

So much had happened these past three days, and it was all finally starting to sink in. All I wanted was for things to go back to normal—to be able to go home where my mom was. Would I even be able to go to school after this? I hated high school so much, but it was still part of my life… a life I may never be able to return to.

If I even survived… whatever this was.

We finished eating our street food, stood up, and went to throw our trash away in the nearest garbage can. I noticed this area seemed oddly vacant of life.

"Um, excuse me?"

We all looked over to see three teenage girls standing a couple yards away, sort of grouped together. They were all rather pretty and probably around our age. The one who had spoken was in the front. She had bright auburn hair that fell down to the small of her back in waves, fair skin, and light green eyes. And she had a figure that most girls would kill for.

"You're locals, right?" the girl asked. "We're touring the city, and I think we got lost… Could you, maybe, point us in the right direction?"

Lee blinked, a bit caught off guard. "Uh, sure. Where are you headed?"

Misty let out a low growl, her hackles rising as the three girls tried to move closer to make it easier to talk. This startled me; she rarely ever showed signs of aggression like this. The girls froze, eyes widening in fear. Misty snarled ferociously, and tried to lunge. It took every ounce of strength I had to hold the Mist-hidden hellhound back.

"Wh-Whoa!" I gasped, yanking back on the leash. "Down, Misty! Stop it!"

But she wouldn't stop. She tried to lunge at the three girls again, this time dragging me along with her a couple of feet before I could stop her again. Ray moved quickly, putting himself between her and the girls, and helped me herd her backwards.

"Damn, I haven't seen her this mean before," he said, eyes wide with surprise.

"She _never_ acts like this," I insisted, looking down at her with irritation. "I _swear…_ She's normally a sweetheart."

"Well, she's not a sweetheart _now_ ," Lee retorted. "You stay there while we give them directions."

His sharp words made me flinch. Lee had never been curt with me. But I suppose it was deserved… I mean… my hellhound wanted to attack innocent mortals… I guess, deep down, no matter how tame she was, she was still a _monster_ …

"O-Okay," I muttered, feeling defeated.

Ray gave me an apologetic look before rejoining his boyfriend and walking over to speak with the girls. I sighed heavily and readjusted my grip on Misty's leash. The black German Shepherd was still tense, hackles raised, but had resorted to a low, never ending growl. At least she wasn't trying to lunge anymore… Gods, what was _wrong_ with her?

I looked back up to watch my friends. The auburn-haired girl in the front, suddenly moved really close to Lee, and another girl, who had dark brown curls pulled up into a ponytail, slunk towards Ray. The only girl who didn't move was the one in the back—an African American girl with thick, curly hair. Something… was _wrong_ here…

Misty tensed even further, her entire body coiling like she was ready to leap to their defense. Ray stepped back from the dark-haired girl, and the next thing I knew, he had out his celestial bronze sword and smacked Lee upside the back of his head so hard, he nearly toppled over.

"Snap _out_ of it!" I heard Ray snap. "They're _charmspeaking_ you!"

Charmspeak? What was that?

But everything happened so fast after that. Misty ripped away from me, charging towards all of them. The three girls suddenly transformed, turning into women with flaming hair, ivory skin, blood red eyes, and mismatched legs—a prosthetic bronze one and a donkey one. I immediately recognized them for what they were— _empousai_.

Misty tackled down the one closest to Ray, allowing him to grab Lee by the arm and yank him backwards to avoid getting sliced by the lead monster. Realizing what was happening, I quickly reached into my messenger bag to get Katoptris. I slipped my bag off once I had my hands on the blade, letting it fall to the pavement.

"Kill them all!" the empousa in the back ordered. "Our master demands it! The demigods' blood must spill today!"

Master? I thought empousai were servants of the goddess Hecate… Something _was_ very wrong here. They had betrayed their true mistress.

There was a deafening shriek as Misty mauled the empousa and killed her. She disappeared into a cloud of dust. Lee had his sword out now, and he and Ray teamed up on the lead empousa. But the one who had given the orders, the one I was pretty sure was _really_ in charge… With Misty distracted, she was able to reach me.

"Die now, and you won't have to see the Lord of Darkness swallow your world whole," the empousa hissed, before lunging at me.

I dodged out of the way, deflecting her claws with Katoptris. My mind was racing as I scrambled to remember what Ray had taught me about fighting. With a dagger, I had to get close. But there were no shadows nearby to use to blind her with, like I had done to Zeke and his friends. It was high noon, for gods' sakes.

I took too long deliberating. The empousa grabbed me, sinking her claws into my shoulders. Right as I remembered that the empousai were the basis for vampires, she went for my throat. On instinct, I kneed her hard in the stomach, forcing her to let go of me and stagger backwards. Using this to my advantage, I took Katoptris and stabbed her right through the heart—like a stake through a vampire. Her eyes widened before she disappeared into her own cloud of dust.

All I could do was stand there, stunned, as Lee and Ray finished off the other empousa. Oh gods… monster or not… I had just killed something… _without hesitation_. Yes, she had been trying to murder me, but… I just _killed_ her… without thinking. I realized I was shaking, my legs gave out, and I fell to my knees, Katoptris clattering to the ground, as Misty ran over to me. She let out a worried whine, still a black German Shepherd, and licked my hand.

Was this the life I was fated to live? Destined to be hunted by monsters sent by this _Lord of Darkness_? Forced to kill to survive? This was the true life of a hero. What was the glory in this? Fighting just to not be killed yourself? Being a demigod was not so great if this was what I would have to deal with for the rest of my life.

"Eleni? Eleni! Are you okay?"

I snapped to attention, realizing I had zoned out. Lee and Ray were crouching in front of me, weapons still out, appearing concerned. Misty let out another whine, resting her head on my lap. I didn't respond right away. Instead, I just nodded and reached to pick Katoptris back up. Once we were all standing, I spoke.

"Let's get out of here before the cops come. With _shadow travel_."

* * *

 _Monday, June 27th, 2033._

* * *

Like Ray explained, even with working together with Misty, using shadow travel exhausted me to the point of passing out. Luckily, we had shadow traveled right to a motel. When I came to, we were in a room in that motel.

Rubbing my head, I slowly sat up. Misty was laying at the foot of the bed I was sprawled out on, sleeping. Glancing around, I saw that the room was fairly decent. There were no chips in the paint on the walls, and the white carpet that lined the floor was actually still white. A flat screen TV was on, but the volume was down low, probably not to disturb my rest. There was another bed, upon which the guys' stuff was thrown down on. Lee and Ray were sitting close together on the small loveseat, not even watching whatever was on the TV. Instead, they were talking.

Ugh… I pressed a hand against the side of my head. I still felt exhausted. Gods, that had seriously taken a lot out of me. And by the looks of it, it was the same for Misty. Glancing over at the clock on the nightstand between the beds, I saw that it was past eight o'clock.

"Oh hey, she's up!"

My two friends got up and walked over. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, trying to wake up more. Gods, I felt so sluggish.

"How are you feeling, Eleni?" Lee asked. "You and Misty took us pretty far. We're in West Virginia."

"I'm okay. Just… tired." I sighed wearily. "How long was I out?"

"More than a day," Ray answered. "Which is pretty good, considering this was your first time shadow traveling."

My eyes widened. "Over a day? Gods… what if someone else has died?"

"Chiron would've Iris messaged us if that happened," Lee replied. "Everything's probably fine back at home."

I almost wanted to correct him, but then I remembered that Camp Half-Blood _was_ their home. They had grown up there. I doubted they would understand my earlier thoughts if I told them. No, I had to keep that to myself. I didn't need to make things worse for me.

"If you say so," I sighed.

"Hey, Eleni, you should take it easy," Ray told me, moving on. "A nice bath always makes my sister feel better, so why don't you try that? The bathroom's decent."

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to clean up… I nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Ray."

He just smiled and waved me off. "Trust me, I'm used to dealing with girl stuff because of Olivia. Lee, on the other hand…"

"Hey!" Lee protested.

"I'm not lying," Ray snorted, smirking. "Remember that girl you had a crush on in-"

"Do we _really_ have to talk about this?!"

...Well, I guess that confirmed that Lee was bisexual. It explained how that empousa charmspoke him, according to their explanation of what charmspeak was. Only those attracted to the person using charmspeak could actually be charmed. And that was why Ray was immune. He was too gay. I had no problem with that. It always baffled me that some people did.

"Yes, because it means I can embarrass you," Ray teased.

Lee's cheeks darkened. "You're _terrible_ , you know that, right?"

Ray laughed. "We'll see how long you say that..."

Despite feeling my heart sinking into my chest, I couldn't help but giggle, covering my mouth with my hand. "Gods, you two are cute."

"See, now you've got _her_ started, Ray," Lee complained, getting even redder. "Gods, why don't you just… go take a bath like Ray suggested?"

Not wanting to feed into his embarrassment, I just nodded. "I will."

I excused myself from them then, picking up my messenger bag and heading back to the bathroom. I stepped inside, shut the door behind me, and locked it out of paranoia. I set my bag down on the tiled floor and looked around. Like Ray said, it was decent, and very clean. I wasn't sure if I wanted to take a _bath_ in a motel bathtub though. A shower would be good enough to refresh myself.

I turned towards the mirror to look at myself. Gods, I was a mess. Some of my hair had come out of the braid. I decided to just take it out, since I was going to shower anyways. I ran my fingers through my messy, curly black hair, letting it fall back down to the small of my back. The rings under my black eyes had returned, making me look exhausted—or _dead_ , for that matter. Even my skin was off—the olive tone seemed paler than usual. I really did wear myself out from shadow traveling. I sighed heavily, struck by another wave of exhaustion, which was mixed with a variety of emotions.

It hit me like a brick wall—my earlier realizations coming back to me. And looking at myself, seeing how tired I was, made it even worse.

Three days. It had been _three days_ since my birthday. Three days since my entire world had been turned upside down.

My legs gave out and I slunk down to the floor, my back pressed up against the cabinet beneath the sink. I buried my face into my hands, not bothering trying to fight the tears that started falling down my cheeks. I was overwhelmed, caught in a burden I wasn't sure I was capable of bearing. So much was relying on me, but even I was powerless to stop one upcoming death. Someone I cared about was going to die. I could feel it in my bones.

I had been trying to stay strong, to make the most of my situation. But I had hit my breaking point. Deep down, I was utterly miserable. Old thoughts were drifting back into my head, bombarding me with dark feelings I had overcome years ago. All I wanted to do now was crawl into a hole and die. Maybe if I died, then someone else wouldn't have to.

It started back in middle school. Those were the worst years of any teenager's life. But it began as early as sixth grade, when I was twelve—before I was even a teenager. We had just moved back to Manhattan after being in upstate New York for a couple of years. I started a brand new middle school, and trying to make the best of moving again, I went in with the mindset of being friendly and trying to combat my shyness.

It went horribly wrong, of course.

My new school was huge, and no one paid any attention to me, no matter how open I was. It shattered my self confidence. And then a spirit started following me around, so I began talking to it since no one else paid me any attention. That spurred on rumors that I still had an imaginary friend, which destroyed whatever reputation I had. Kids laughed at me behind my back, and there was always whispering. Gym class was humiliating because of the looks and whispers I got inside the locker room. And there was how I had ADHD and dyslexia. Anyone who found that out made fun of me. Every day I would come home from school and cry. But my mom was at work so she didn't know.

My depression started then, but it didn't take a turn for the worst until seventh grade. I started… hurting myself. It seemed like that was the only way to take the pain away. My dark emotions attracted more ghosts, and they followed me everywhere I went. I tried my hardest not to talk to them. I didn't want anyone else to think I was immature… or crazy. But the ghosts were my only friends, so that didn't even last that long.

I was so good at hiding my true feelings and what I was doing to myself that no one noticed. Not even my mom, though she was stressed out due to her job and how she was dealing with a sexual harassment case. I didn't want to bother her with my issues. It wasn't until I cut myself up so badly that I had to be taken to the hospital that she found out. The memory of her crying at the side of my bed in the hospital was forever seared in my mind. She was horrified and felt she had failed me as a mother for being so wrapped up in her own personal drama not to have noticed her daughter's pain.

Long story short, Mom saved up money to get me into a psychiatrist and a therapist, since our health insurance wouldn't cover all the costs. I was too young to get specifically diagnosed with anything, but they confirmed what we already assumed. I had depression and anxiety to throw in with the ADHD and dyslexia. I had to take medications for a time, but eventually got better enough not to need them anymore. The sadness was always lurking in the back of my mind, but I could actually function, as compared to before.

That is… until now.

I rolled up the sleeves of my sweater to look at the scars on the undersides of my arms. Most of them had faded, but some were still obviously white against my olive skin, where I had cut in rather deeply. Part of me was surprised no one had noticed, since I hadn't been trying to hide them like I usually did. Well, that was better for me. I didn't want anyone asking questions.

Wiping my eyes, I shifted over to my messenger bag and opened it. There was Katoptris, resting on top of my clothes, tucked away in its sheath. I was struck by a strong urge to use it… on myself. To draw the blade against my skin. _To feel pain_. _To see blood_. I deserved it, didn't I? Someone was going to _die_ because of me.

I drew the dagger out of the sheath. The celestial bronze blade gleamed under the bathroom's light, reflecting my tired image. My hand shook as I held it, knowing that if I lowered the blade at all, I wouldn't be able to resist the urge any further. But… why _was_ I even resisting? I knew this would make me feel better. And I _needed_ to feel better.

But then an image appeared on Katoptris. My attention immediately turned to it. The blade was showing me… some kind of camp. It wasn't Camp Half-Blood, that was for sure. The structures appeared more… Roman. Wait, this was Camp Jupiter, wasn't it? The camp for Roman demigods we were planning at stopping at to relax and refuel.

A huge wall of darkness was heading towards the camp, engulfing everything in its wake. I watched, chills running through my body, as the darkness swallowed up all of Camp Jupiter. All I could see now was pure blackness. And then the vision ended, the image fading away, and once again all I could see in the blade was my reflection.

Oh my gods… what _was_ that?

Ugh… I was tired of this stupid dagger. I should have never chosen it! Frustrated by another confusing vision and the powerful urge to harm myself, I threw Katoptris. The blade bounced off the wall and fell to the floor with a clatter. It was completely unharmed.

I felt ashamed of myself. If that vision hadn't distracted me… who knows what I would've done. In a way, Katoptris had saved me… Maybe I was meant to wield it after all. Sighing heavily, I scooted over to pick it back up. I returned the dagger to its sheath and then put it back in the bag.

Once that was done, I took out my pastel pink hairbrush and stood up. I brushed through the tangles in my hair before setting it down on the counter. A nice hot shower would clear my head. Now that the urges had passed, I should be fine.

I was always fine. I had no other choice but to be fine. That was my only option.


	6. Shadows Are Monsters, Too

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 6: SHADOWS ARE MONSTERS, TOO**

* * *

 **CASSIE**

* * *

 _Tuesday, June 28th, 2033._

* * *

"No, no, no—you're not even holding the bow right. Gods, Dom, are you good with _any_ kind of weapon?"

I had graciously agreed to try—note the word _try_ —to help Dominic work on his archery skills. And as you can probably imagine, it wasn't going so well. Honestly, the guy was better off just sticking to magic for fighting. I mean, he apparently went to a school that specifically taught magic during the winter. I understood _why_ he wanted to learn how to use weapons, but it just _wasn't_ working out for him. He just wasn't gifted with the ability to use weapons like most other demigods.

Dom gave a weak shrug. "No idea. That's why I'm trying different kinds out."

I fought the urge to sigh loudly.

Dominic Blackstone was around my age, and a son of Hecate. He was tall, a bit on the lean side, and had wildly curly black hair, lightly tanned skin, and blue eyes. He was wearing a black tank top, black gym shorts, and of course, _black_ sneakers. I knew him fairly well, enough to consider him a friend, but we didn't go out of our ways to hang out or anything.

"Well, you can check _bow_ off your list," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "Maybe you should just stick to a magic wand."

"We'll see," he said, not looking convinced. "Certain situations make magic difficult, you know. That's why I want an actual weapon."

I figured as much. And it did make sense. But what concerned me was his _sudden_ interest in this. It would've been easier if he picked a weapon when he first came to camp and started working on using it since. Instead, out of the blue at the beginning of summer, he decided he wanted to do this. Even for Dom, it was weird.

"Why did you suddenly decide this _now_ , though?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "You could've been training with a weapon for _years_ now."

Dom winced, reaching up to rub the back of his head. "Well, the truth is… I had a nightmare. Nothing unusual there, right? But it… was _creepier_ than usual."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I usually have some pretty spooky dreams," he began to explain. "All of us do in Cabin Twenty do. We think it's because of Hecate's connection to the Underworld. But this dream… it was a _lot_ worse. I saw… all of Camp Half-Blood get swallowed up by a wall of darkness."

As soon as he said that… I froze. My eyes widened in shock. What in the gods' names would _swallow up_ the _entire_ camp?! And whatever it was… the fact that it was darkness immediately made me think of how Eleni had been almost… swallowed up by blackness in her sleep. And then there was how Eleni's powers seemed to be more darkness oriented than her older half brother's. If Paris found out about this… Knowing him, he'd try to use this as fuel to say that Eleni was connected to the murders somehow after all.

"Have you told anyone else about this?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Only Chiron, and I doubt that's who you meant."

All right, so Chiron knew. That was a relief, at least. I wondered what he thought about this. My thoughts drifted to the prophecy then. _Darkness falls across the land, sealing half-bloods' fates with its brand._ This had to be what it was talking about. The darkness _had_ to be what was killing campers. There was no other explanation.

"Yeah," I sighed. "Gods. This is just-"

"Cassie!"

I cut myself off, surprised to see that _Maia_ of all people had approached us. The heat today had finally made her abandon her leather jacket, but she was _still_ wearing all black, just like Dom. It must be a rebellious kid thing. At least she had the common sense to wear a tank top and short shorts with her combat boots. Sometimes I really question that kid's judgment.

"What is it, Maia?" I asked, trying not to sound annoyed.

"I need to talk to you," she said, before eyeing Dom. " _Alone_."

"...Fine," I muttered. "Sorry, Dom. I'll be right back."

"No sweat," Dom said. "I'll be here, trying to shoot arrows."

Well, I doubt he would be going _anywhere_ then. I followed after Maia, letting her lead the way to someplace we could talk about whatever she wanted to discuss. I still had no idea why she would come to _me_ about something. We weren't exactly _chummy_. Dealing with her felt like babysitting a toddler, and that was insulting to toddlers.

"All right, what is it?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest once we had reached our destination. "This better be important."

"It _is_." She scowled, crossing her arms over her chest, too. "I was in the woods earlier with some other Romans to do some monster fighting training, but we ended up getting separated. Since it was too dangerous to be alone, I decided to just find my way out. On my way, I found… Paris."

"What about Paris?" I asked, resisting the urge to roll my eyes at her.

 _Of course_ it was Paris. I swear to the gods, it was _always_ Paris. I may not like the guy, but she hated him way more than any of us did. I didn't understand why. What did she have against him? Did she know something that no one else did, or was she just irrational? Probably the latter.

"He was talking to this.. thing. I dunno what is was." Maia gave a weak shrug. "It was like this… humanoid shadowy blob. But it felt… _evil_. And it made the air even yards away from it cold enough I could see my breath coming out in puffs."

"So let me get this straight..." I said slowly. "You're saying you saw Paris… talking to a shadowy blob shaped like a person… in the forest?"

She scowled. "That's exactly what I _just_ said!"

I reached up to pressed a hand to my forehead. "You do realize how crazy that sounds, right?"

Maia scowled even harder. "I'm _not_ lying. I _know_ what I saw! I thought _you_ of all people would believe me, Cassie. Paris is up to something. I dunno _what_ , but he is."

I sighed with annoyance, lowering my hand. "Come _on_ , Maia. Get real. Paris may be a jerk, but he's not _evil_. I think you're letting your hatred of him cloud your judgment." If she wasn't already making this up to try to frame him.

"Ugh! I can't _believe_ this!" She all but exploded. " _Fine_ , if you don't believe me, then I'll just have to tell Chiron!"

"Are you _insane_?!" I demanded. "Gods, you really think _Chiron_ will believe you?"

Maia, who had started turning around, paused and looked back at me, still scowling. "Someone _has_ to believe me."

I said nothing else, leaving her to head off to find the centaur. This was nuts. _She_ was nuts. Paris may be many things, but he wasn't evil and he wasn't a killer. Either she was straight up lying, or her imagination was playing tricks on her. I wasn't sure which was more likely. Though… it would probably be better to let Lee and the others know about this, considering the quest they were on. I decided to go dig up a drachma and make an Iris message.

* * *

 **LEE**

* * *

We had decided, due to Eleni's fatigue, to stay another day in the motel. She hadn't been too happy about it, insisting she was fine and could travel—until trying to stand up and nearly falling back down. Ray managed to convince her she needed to get more rest, better than I probably would have been able to, and before long she was back to snoozing in bed. After staying in the motel room for a few hours and finding ourselves utterly bored, we decided to leave a note to let Eleni know we were going out, and then headed outside.

I would've felt better if we could bring Misty with us, since she was like a _monster detector_ , but we couldn't leave Eleni completely defenseless. The prophecy was nagging me at the back of my mind, but I was doing my best _not_ to think about it. Worrying about it in itself could lead to someone dying. A simple mistake could cost someone their life.

We were in a small town in West Virginia, which probably wasn't the best place to be when you're queer, not that I liked the South a whole lot anyways. It made me remember how Cassie had a Southern drawl when she first came to camp. A lot of the preteen campers made fun of her for it, to the point where she taught herself how not to speak in the accent. But she never talked about her family or where she came from, so I had no idea _where_ in South she was from.

But lucky for us, the town wasn't _too_ small. Otherwise I imagine we'd be getting strange looks. We weren't holding hands or anything, but we were still strangers. I really couldn't wait until we could leave this place. It was making me uneasy.

"Hey, look," Ray said, stopping in front of a building we had been passing by. "It's a bookstore. Wanna go inside?"

I had never been a big fan of reading, due to my dyslexia. Ray, on the other hand, _loved_ books. He usually had to read them in Ancient Greek, but he loved them. I really doubted a small town bookstore would have anything written in Ancient Greek, but if he wanted to go inside and look around, I wasn't about to stop him.

"Sure," I said. "Lead the way."

He flashed a bright grin and headed for the entrance. I followed after him. A bell jingled as we entered, and I glanced up to see a gold bell hanging off the top of the door. The shopkeeper was a plump old woman standing behind the front counter to the left of the entrance, and she welcomed us. Her surprisingly friendly attitude caught me off guard but helped me unwind. I followed Ray further in.

The bookstore was quaint, with simple white walls and bookcases everywhere. The floor was lined with off white carpet that felt soft underneath my sneakers. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee enveloped the room, mixing with the scent of newly opened books. It was oddly relaxing for someone who wasn't a fan of books.

Ray wandered through the aisles, looking at various books on the shelves throughout the store. None of them seemed to pique his interest enough to look at them, though. I realized though, about ten or so minutes after we first entered, that we had meandered into the mythology section. I was a bit surprised they even _had_ a mythology section in a small bookstore like this. It must have interested Ray enough, because he stopped and started perusing the selection. A certain book caught his attention and he pulled it off the shelf.

He turned towards me, smiling mischievously. "Hey look, it's the Iliad."

I groaned. "Seriously, Ray?"

"Come on, you can't tell me you're not interested in the full story of your namesake," he said.

"I know all I need to," I muttered. "He was an invincible hero but still got killed."

Ray let out an exasperated sigh. "It could be worse. You could be named after a villain like Paris. Though, speaking of names, I don't think I ever told you my dad almost named me _Patrick_. How crazy would that be, with you being named after Achilles and me having a name close to Patroclus."

I made a face. "Don't make that comparison, Ray… Patroclus didn't get a happy ending either."

"I know, Lee," he snorted, shaking his head. "You put too much stock into this name business. I really doubt anything will ever come of it."

I knew he wasn't a believer in the whole Fate thing, even with prophecies and all that jazz. He liked to believe he could choose his own destiny. I would _love_ to believe that too, but I wasn't so sure if it was even possible. Prophecies were given to quests for a reason, for example… And that, of course, made me think about our own quest… and how one of us would die.

If it had to be anyone, I hoped it would be me. Ray had a little sister to take care of… and I couldn't imagine living without him in my life anymore.

"I hope you're right," I sighed.

Ray put the book back on the shelf, and turned to face me fully. "Don't worry about it, Lee. I'm sure everything will be okay. Just gotta stay positive."

Being positive was easier said than done. But I managed to give him a smile and nodded.

"Right," I said. "We should head back-"

Out of nowhere, a small rainbow gleamed, bringing with it the image of Cassie. I cut myself off, caught by surprise by the sudden Iris message. A sense of dread settled on me. Why was she contacting us? Did something happen?!

"Cassie!" Ray exclaimed, looking just as surprised as I felt. "Is everything okay?"

 _"_ _Yeah, everything's mostly fine,"_ she answered. _"But Maia's pulling some shit I thought you guys should know about. Where's Eleni?"_

"She's still resting," I answered. "We went out for a walk. We're in a bookstore right now."

"It's all but empty," Ray added. "What's this about Maia?"

Cassie let out an exasperated sigh, folding her arms over her chest. _"She_ claims _she saw Paris talking to a shadowy monster. Which is just crazy."_

Neither of us said a word at first. I was a bit surprised, honestly, that Maia would be bold enough to say something like that. Or maybe I shouldn't be, considering who we're talking about here. I really did not understand what she had against my half brother that was more severe than why we didn't like him. Paris, as charming as he was, was not nearly as nice as he pretended to be. We didn't like him because of how fake he was.

"I dunno, man," Ray said, frowning. "Lee, what do you think? You know Paris better than the rest of us."

"Who, me?" I asked in surprise. "Uh, we may be half brothers but we don't really talk. Paris pretty much ignores me in our cabin."

There was a reason for it, of course. When I first arrived at camp, Paris had already been there since, well, birth. Some god or goddess killed his and Hector's mother not long after his birth. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Hera. The legacies who took Hector in in New Rome refused to take care of Paris because he was Greek. So Paris was essentially raised by Chiron. I remember him being really excited when I first arrived, excited to have another brother since he rarely got to see his full blooded brother. We got along pretty well at first. No one seems to remember that.

But then our father's favoritism started. At first… I was his favorite. I was the one named after _Achilles_ , after all. He had high hopes for me, which he shared with my mom when they were still lovers. Paris… changed after that. He started hating me. I had what he didn't—a living mother who stilled cared for me even though we rarely saw each other, and our father's approval. He became obsessed with proving himself to Zeus. And it didn't help that Zeus gave me a magical weapon for my tenth birthday—Bronte, a lightning bolt necklace that became a celestial bronze sword that could also turn into a spear.

But then Penelope came. She was the same age as Paris, twelve years old, just a year younger than the age limit of claiming. It was weird having another Big Three kid around, but nice at the same time. Penelope is probably the nicest person I've ever met even to this day. She even got on Paris's case for being mean to me. She had been like a big sister to me, and to Ray and Olivia, too, ironically. But Paris… He liked her, as in he _liked_ her. I have no idea if she ever noticed, but it was obvious to Ray and me. He was always trying to impress her, to show off, usually at my expense. It wasn't hard for him to surpass me, though, considering that Zeus's favor towards me started to diminish when I didn't meet his expectations. But when Penelope joined the Hunters of Artemis… Paris changed even more. He became the person he is today. I imagine that really broke his heart, and I pity him for it.

 _"_ _He's got a point,"_ Cassie sighed. _"But I still think she's making it up."_

"Why would she even _do_ that?" Ray asked incredulously. "Like… come on, Cassie. Maia has nothing to gain or lose by lying."

 _"_ _So you're telling me I should_ believe _that Maia de la Fuente saw Paris Leroy talking to a shadow monster in the middle of the forest in Camp Half-Blood?"_ Cassie demanded, speaking slowly and disbelievingly.

"I don't know… I think Eleni would have better insight on this," I said, frowning. "I mean, she's the one with Katoptris. The dagger has _had_ to given her at least _one_ vision by now. She just hasn't mentioned anything yet."

Cassie let out an exasperated sigh. _"All right, I'll leave you guys to talk to her about it. Just shoot me message if you figure out anything."_

Ray nodded. "We'll do that. Let us know if anything else happens at camp."

 _"_ _I will,"_ she agreed. _"See you later."_

The Iris message ended, leaving us alone in the bookstore again. Ray and I exchanged glances. We knew what we needed to do now. We needed to go back to our motel room, and whether she was tired or not, wake Eleni up and talk to her about this. And maybe, just maybe, we needed to send Penelope an Iris message. The Hunters of Artemis may know something useful, too. Besides… it had been a long time since I talked to her or my half sister, Thalia. At least now, we might get some answers.

* * *

I felt bad for walking Eleni up, but we needed to hear what she thought about this. She was hungry, though, so first things first, we decided to get some lunch. We let Eleni clean up and change into some fresh clothes. It was pretty hot out, so we recommended she wear shorts if she had any. Luckily, she did; she was still rather pale and it made me worry she might pass out from the heat. It was a bit concerning that she chose to wear long sleeves, but at least it wasn't heavy like her sweater. At least she pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

We also weren't too keen on having to leave Misty behind, but we couldn't exactly bring her into whatever place we picked out to eat at. I made sure I had Bronte on me—in necklace form, of course. Ray hid his sword in his backpack, and Eleni managed to hide Katoptris on her _somehow_. Girls were just good at hiding stuff. I would never understand it.

"So, where do you wanna eat?" Ray asked, looking over at us as we left the room after locking up.

"Anywhere is fine with me," I answered, giving a shrug.

We both looked over at Eleni then, who was biting down on her bottom lip. "Maybe… McDonald's?"

Ray looked surprised. "Just… McDonald's."

She nodded sheepishly. "Yes. Is that, um, strange?"

"Sorry, you just don't seem like a person big on fast food." He gave a shrug. "Are you cool with that, Lee?"

"Sure," I said. "I don't really care where we eat."

For whatever reason, her face lit up, and I swear she could have started sparkling right then and there. "Yay! Let's go!"

She darted off, leaving us to follow after her or get left behind. Well, I really didn't expect her to get that excited about going to _McDonald's_. It wasn't my favorite fast food joint, honestly. But this was the most chipper I had ever seen her since the first moment we met, so I wasn't about to rain on her parade. She had been taking the whole prophecy business the hardest out of all three of us. It was good to see her spirits lifted… no pun intended.

We found the McDonald's easily, and it was no shocker than even a small town like this would have one. Ray opened the door, and gestured for us to go inside. Eleni walked in first, so I followed after her. She opened the second door, and we followed after her. The restaurant wasn't very busy, which was a little surprising seeing as it was after noon.

We walked past the display of Happy Meal toys, but Eleni stopped dead in her tracks and just stared at them. Ray and I paused, turning back around to see what the deal was. They were Mythomagic figurines—that tabletop game based off of various mythologies. I had never really been interested in that kind of stuff, but Ray had been when we were younger, so I knew some things about it. By the looks of it, they had Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Athena, Apollo, and Artemis available as toys. Yowch. I hope Demeter didn't know about this.

Eleni stepped closer to the display, brushing her fingers against the plastic case above the Hades toy. "I… need that. I need Hades. I need… to give it to... It's the only one he doesn't have."

...Wait, what? That was kind of out of blue. And made no sense.

"Ugh..." Eleni reached up to press her hand up against the side of her head. "Headache… Let's just order. I, um, want a Happy Meal."

I watched her start making her way to the cashier, and than exchanged a look with Ray. He gave a shrug, confirming that he was just as confused as I was. We followed after her then to place our orders. I took note that she did order a Happy Meal—with chicken nuggets. When we got our food, we found a table in the back of the restaurant to sit at. As soon as we sat down, Eleni opened up her Happy Meal to see what toy she got.

Her entire face lit up, her dark eyes gleaming. "Yes! I got it! Hades!"

We watched as she removed the toy from the Happy Meal box, and opened up the small plastic bag it was inside. She held it delicately, like it could break easily. As soon as she set it down on the table, she looked up at us and beamed.

"I'm so happy I got it! Now I can give it to him."

"Who, exactly?" I couldn't help but ask.

Eleni's smile faltered, and she looked down at the Hades figure. "I… I don't know. I don't remember. But I _have_ to give it to him."

Again, I looked over at Ray, who was paused in opening up the wrapper over his hamburger. He gave another shrug, and then continued to unwrap his burger. No one said anything else, so I focused on my own food. I really wondered what Eleni was talking about, but I guess we'd probably find out eventually. She was going to give that figurine to _someone_. But after we all had gotten some food in our bellies, Eleni decided it was time to start.

"So, um, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked.

"Cassie Iris messaged us about something Maia said," Ray began to explain. "Supposedly, she saw Paris talking to a shadow monster in the woods at camp."

Eleni's eyes widened. "Sh-Shadow monster?"

I nodded. "That's what she said. It was shaped like a human."

She shivered, looking down at her food. "That's so creepy… but why would Paris talk to something like that?"

"We were wondering if you'd have any insight on that," I said.

"Um..." She shook her head, looking back up at us. "You've known Paris way longer than I have…"

I figured we'd get a response like that. And it was understandable. We _were_ kind of putting her on the spot like this. It was worth a try, at least. I doubted this was real anyways. Maia was probably just trying to make my half brother look bad, which was _really_ hard to do, considering how 99.9% of the camp adores and admires him. I just couldn't understand _why_ she would even want to do that. I knew she didn't like him one bit, but still.

"But, um… a few days ago, I… had a dream. I think… it was a vision." Eleni bit her bottom lip. "It was the dream I had when the darkness tried to kill me. There was… this entity. It was… _pure darkness_ , and it… _radiated_ negative emotions. It felt like it was sucking the life right out of me, before Cassie woke me up. It was… _horrible_." She shuddered, sinking down in her seat. "But whatever, or whoever, this entity is… it mentioned a traitor. And it called the traitor its pawn."

A heavy silence fell as her words sunk in. An entity… made of darkness. I knew what she was talking about. A protogenos, one of the primordial gods… A brother to Gaea, who started the Second Giant War. Erebos, the protogenos of darkness. Gods… _This_ was who we were dealing with? I thought the stories about Gaea during the Second Giant War were bad enough… And someone had _already_ turned traitor to serve him.

"...Erebos." As soon as I said that, the lights dimmed and the air chilled. "That's who it is."

Eleni's eyes widened. "That's… That's the name I couldn't remember."

"Great," Ray muttered. "We're dealing with the _embodiment_ of _darkness_. I hope nobody's still scared of the dark. You know, I thought we'd be done with the Protogenoi, but _nope_."

"It could be worse," I sighed. "We could be dealing with _Chaos_."

"Touche." Ray picked up a fry. "Let's just eat and head back. Penelope needs to hear this. She could pass it onto Artemis, and it would be _really_ helpful if the gods were aware of what's happening."

* * *

About half an hour later, more or less, we returned to the motel, our bellies full. Eleni stashed the Hades figurine in her messenger bag as soon as we got back. I really wondered what the deal was with that. Well, I'd probably find out _eventually_. But then we all went into the kitchen to figure out how to create a rainbow with mist. The faucet had a removable head that could spray, probably to wash dishes. Ray used that to create a fine mist, and thankfully, the sunlight shining in from the window above the sink caught it, creating a small rainbow.

I tossed a golden drachma into the rainbow mist. "O Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept our offering. Show us Penelope Seabrooke."

In just one moment, an image flickered onto the rainbow mist. I immediately recognize the girl as Penelope, forever fifteen, since that was the age she was when she became a Hunter of Artemis. She was on her knees, in front of what looked like a stream, leaning forward and cupping her hands in the water to get a drink. Her wavy black hair fell down a little past her shoulders, the front strands braided back, with her bangs swept across her forehead. I couldn't see her eyes, but they were sea green, just like Maia's. She had a silver aura about her, and she was wearing a silver jacket, white shirt, silvery camo pants, and black combat boots.

"Penelope!" I exclaimed.

There was a loud splash as her hands jerked out of the water, and she looked up. She would've drenched herself with water if she wasn't a daughter of Poseidon. Her eyes widened as she saw us.

"Lee?! And Ray? And… someone else. What's… Look, I don't mean to sound rude, but… Why are you calling me?"

"I hope we didn't catch you at a bad time," I said, "but it's urgent. Something Artemis should know."

She sat up straight at that, resting her hands on her knees. "Well, in that case… I'm listening. We just stopped for a lunch break, but I wanted to get a moment of peace from the other Hunters."

"Hunters?" Eleni repeated, testing the word out like it was hard to say. "Oh, right… Lee and Ray said you're a Hunter of Artemis."

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm Penelope. I only joined a couple of years ago. And you are…?"

"Eleni Spiros," she answered. "I, um, just came to Camp Half-Blood. I'm… the daughter of Hades."

Penelope's eyes widened. " _Hades?_ Gods, that's… _surprising_. Well, regardless, it's nice to meet you, Eleni. Hopefully we can meet in person someday. But anyways… what's this urgent news?"

"Well..." Ray began slowly. "I don't know if you've heard, but there have been… murders at camp. Eleni here was almost a victim, and she says that it was like… darkness was swallowing her up. We're on a quest right now to the Underworld, to see if we can find any answers there."

Her eyes widened again. " _Murders?_ Gods, is everyone okay?!"

"No one you knew is dead," I said, trying to sound reassuring. "Olivia and Cassie are alive and well, as is Paris. We haven't heard from Camp Jupiter, though, so I'm not sure what's going on there. But the victims have all been female, so I'm sure that Aeneas is okay."

Penelope sighed. "It's still horrible… Do you have any leads on this that I can give to Lady Artemis? If we have something to go on, to _hunt_ … we can help. And I'm sure Artemis will want to, especially if all the victims are girls."

"Well, we… have a theory." Ray hesitated. "Eleni… why don't you tell Penelope about your vision?"

Eleni hesitated for a moment, before nodding and proceeding to share her dream with Penelope. The older girl—er, well, she _was_ technically older than us—frowned as she processed this information. It was a lot to take in.

"So, um, we think this dark entity… might be Erebos," Eleni finished.

Again, the lights flickered and the temperature dropped. It only lasted for a second, but it was unnerving. Would this happen every time we said his name?

Penelope didn't respond right away. She kept on frowning, brow furrowed in thought. Then she closed her eyes for a moment, sighing heavily. This had to be unsettling her, too.

"I think you might be on the right track with that theory," she agreed wearily. "This is just-"

"Hey, Penny!" an unfamiliar female voice called. "What'cha still doing over there?! You're gonna miss out on the venison!"

Penelope glanced behind her, and let out an exasperated sigh before facing forward again. "Sorry, I gotta go. If something else comes up, shoot me or Thalia an Iris message."

She waved her hand in the rainbow mist, and then she was gone. The Iris message was over. Ray turned off the water and put the faucet head back in place. We all exchanged looks. Ray looked grim, while Eleni appeared nervous, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. Today had been eventful… in a weird way. If we were right about Erebos, we were one step closer to finding an answer about the murders. But it also meant… we were up against another protogenos.

And that was totally _not_ terrifying. At _all_.

All I was reminded of was the prophecy saying that one of us would die.


	7. Killer Owls Make Great Forest Guides

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 7: KILLER OWLS MAKE GREAT FOREST GUIDES**

* * *

 **AENEAS**

* * *

 _Wednesday, June 29th, 2033._

* * *

"Hector has been acting strange lately," Claudia was saying as she looked over the report I had handed her. "I'm beginning to get concerned."

I wasn't surprised that she was telling me this, but at the same time the fact that she _was_ telling me this was very concerning. Claudia only expressed her worries if they were serious. Hector's odd behavior really had to be bothering her if she chose to speak with me about it. I wasn't quite sure how to respond, other than frowning. While it was true that I almost became praetor, I really had no idea how to even handle this situation.

"Every time I try to discuss the Greeks with him, he deflects the topic with something else," Claudia added, setting the report down on her desk and looking up at me. "He refuses to acknowledge that there has to be something going on with how only the exchange campers are dying."

"That's… strange," I said after a moment, agreeing with her. "I'm guessing you think he's falling short of his duty as praetor."

"Not only that, but it's extremely out of character for him," she answered, looking back down at her desk. "Hector has always put the Legion before himself. It just doesn't make sense that it would suddenly change. Unless..."

"Unless?" I prompted.

She sighed heavily, shaking her head. "No… I can't let my dislike of Paris cloud my judgment."

I couldn't help but grimace at that. I kept on forgetting that Paris had made himself quite unlikable these past two years. Well, unlikable to those who once considered him a friend. I know that people change over time, but when it came to him, the change had been insanely drastic. I recalled the last time I saw him, during the annual camp get together last year. He had had a lot of girls around him. Now that I thought about it, he _always_ had girls around him. Gods.

"Maybe something's going on with Paris," I suggested. "I mean, we have no idea what's happening at Camp Half-Blood. That could be why Hector hasn't been himself. He could be worried."

"…I hope you're right," she said quietly.

I hoped I was right, too.

* * *

 **ELENI**

* * *

We had left early this morning to make up for lost time, but Misty tired sooner than I did. I barely could get us out of the shadows in time before she collapsed from fatigue. We decided to keep on walking, though, after resting a bit so the hellhound could keep up with us. It wasn't before long that we found ourselves in a forest…

"…So, uh," Lee said, glancing around. "Does anyone know where we are?"

We all stopped. Misty, once again turned into a German Shepherd by the Mist, brushed against my leg. Looking around, I took in the forest. The trees were mostly deciduous, save for the occasional pine. The sun shone directly above us, signaling that it was around noon. It was oddly quiet; not even birds were singing. That made me feel uneasy, and I reached down for Katoptris, where I had its sheath tied around my waist.

"…No idea," Ray muttered. "But these woods are creepy as hell."

"You can say that again," I sighed. "Where is all the wildlife?"

"Maybe Misty scared them off?" Lee suggested weakly.

I looked down at her, and the hellhound glanced up right at the same moment. She wagged her tail, panting happily. Well, she didn't seem bothered by any of this. Misty was like our personal alarm, so if she was fine, we weren't in any danger. Still, part of me didn't quite feel _that_ reassured.

"Let's just get out of here," I mumbled.

"I can agree with that," Ray snorted. "We should be ready for anything though, just in case."

Lee and I nodded in agreement, and we started walking again. We let Ray lead the way, since he seemed to be better at navigating his way through a forest than either of us. I noticed Lee had started fiddling with his bronze necklace, probably ready to turn it into a weapon at a moment's notice. I also kept my hand on Katoptris's hilt. We had come too far already to all die, lost in a forest. But that sentiment wouldn't keep us alive, either.

I still had a lot on my mind. There was the newest vision Katoptris had given me, and the whole deal with the Mythomagic figure. When I saw the Hades figurine, I… I had to get it, no matter what. I needed to… give it to someone. I didn't understand why, but someone needed it. I hadn't felt an urge that strong _ever_. And then there was how uneasy I felt when we talked to Penelope via Iris message, and it had nothing to do with my usual social anxiety. It was… something else entirely.

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the Hades figurine. This toy had unsettled a lot of things I had been trying to forget about. The… strange dreams I had had for as long as I could remember. The nightmares that tormented me in my sleep. It didn't just start with my nightmare about Erebos. There were… other dreams. And somehow, this stupid toy had brought back all of those horrible memories.

As a kid, my dreams were plagued with nightmares. Most of them were recurring. One was of me being trapped in a tower, which was struck by lightning. Another was of me being trapped of a hotel filled with lotus flowers and being unable to escape. Yet another was of a giant robot trying to kill me, only for both of us being struck by lightning. All my fears came from these damned nightmares—thunderstorms, being trapped, robots, and so on.

I hated thinking about how _weak_ I was.

"Hoot hoot."

The silence broke, and we all paused to look over at whatever had made the noise. It… was an owl. It resembled a barn owl, save for its yellow eyes that had no pupils, abnormally long golden beak, red wings, and black legs. The strange owl watched us, before unfurling its wings and taking flight, disappearing further into the forest.

"Hey, it's an owl," Lee said, looking at us. "Maybe Athena has sent us some help!"

"…Maybe," Ray said reluctantly. "I've never seen an owl like that one before."

"Should we follow it?" I asked nervously.

Ray hesitated, but gave a shrug. "Might as well. We've got no other leads out of this damn forest."

Well, that settled it, then. We all headed in the direction the strange owl had flown, looking for it in the tree branches. About a minute or two later, we found it, sitting on a tree branch, like it was waiting for us. Its eerie yellow eyes landed on us, and then it unfurled its wings and flew off again, leaving us to chase after it again.

It was like a game. Every time we caught up to the owl, it would fly off again, making us chase after it. Every time, we'd find it perched on a tree branch, waiting. It _had_ to be sent by Athena, right? Why else would an owl lead us through a forest? There was no other explanation...

I wasn't sure how long it lasted, but when I finally took note of the sky again, the sun was lower, signaling afternoon. We had lost sight of the owl once more, but the trees were starting to thin out, opening up to a small lake. The waters shimmered light blue, the sunlight reflecting off it. In the center of the lake was a tiny patch of land, with a single, scraggy dead tree that looked like it had been killed by a lightning strike. And there were more of those owls… sitting on its branches. Hundreds of them. The owl we had been following flew up and perched on the only open spot.

A heavy silence permeated the clearing, save for the sound of us coming to a stop a few yards away from the lake. Hundreds of creepy yellow eyes were locked on us, unblinking. The intensity of their gaze made my skin crawl, my stomach feeling uneasy. Something… was _wrong_ here… I was pretty sure owls did not act like this.

"…Guys…" Ray said slowly and carefully. "Don't move. I… don't think these are normal owls…"

"Then… what _are_ they?" I asked, my voice cracking in fear.

"Striges… or strix, in singular." Ray cautiously rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. "They're owls that eat and drink human flesh and blood."

"What?!" My voice cracked again as a sense of horror overtook me.

"Well shit…" Lee muttered. "Any ideas of how to beat a hundred of these things before getting our eyes pecked out?"

"If I'm being honest… not really." Ray grimaced. "Don't make any sudden movements. Eleni, if you can blind them, do it. Lee, you can probably push them back with wind. Basically, do anything to delay their attack. That's all I can think of."

I'll admit it—I was both surprised and impressed. I knew Ray was the son of Athena, but he for these past few days I had known him, he had barely shown any signs of his heritage. Until now, that is, with how he was shooting out strategies for us to use. I really wished I could do more than just blind things with darkness, though… I mean, everyone was talking about how powerful children of the Big Three are but I had yet to see it in myself.

The owls must have decided our little chat was over, because it was at that exact moment they all burst from the dead tree.

"Now!" Ray barked.

Lee turned his necklace into a sword, and slashed out with it in an arc. Air blasted out where the blade struck, sending at least a hundred of the striges hurling back towards the tree, some of them hitting the tree with sickening crunches.

The striges that were still in the air split up, flying around us to avoid another air blast from Lee, screeching angrily. It then sunk in that I might not be able to manipulate darkness right now. It was still daylight, and there were no shadows in the middle of this clearing. And so far, I'd only been able to use darkness if, well, it was _dark_.

"Eleni!" Ray shouted, signaling it was my turn to do something.

Panicking, I pulled Katoptris out of its sheath and without thinking, put my hands up to shield my face from the incoming bloodthirsty owls. But… nothing happened. Looking up, my eyes widened as I saw a huge wall of black in front of me. It was thin enough to see that all the owls had impaled themselves in the barrier, but were obviously still alive with how they were squirming and screeching so loud it hurt my ears.

Behind me, I heard another rush of wind, and guessed that Lee was repelling the owls that had survived his first attack. There was shouting—Ray saying something to Lee, trying to coordinate their attacks and not miss a single strix. I kept my hands up, wondering if there was any way to kill the striges I had trapped… Gods, why did I have to get such a _useless_ power?

Feeling frustrated, I clenched my hands into fists. And as soon as I did that, the black wall changed shape, turning into a ball, the striges screaming as I heard their bones crunch loudly. And then it was silent. Eyes widening with horror, I opened my fists and dropped my hands. The black energy dissipated, and a hundred mangled owl bodies dropped to the ground.

I… I just… killed… _all_ of them…

"SCREEEEEEE!"

Something slammed into my back, and I flailed forward, landing flat on my face, Katoptris flying out of my hand. I gasped in pain, trying to push myself back up quickly, only to stop as I heard another screech and the strix that knocked me down sunk its long, sharp beak into my left arm.

An agonized scream bubbled up in my arm as the strix dug its four black clawed feet into my arm, latching onto me so I couldn't rip it off without losing a chunk of flesh in the process. Red blood began to drip down my arm, all the way down to my fingers.

"Eleni!" I heard Lee call frantically.

Before anyone could do anything, a silver arrow came flying out of nowhere, impaling itself in the back of the owl's neck. The monster went limp, releasing my arm, and fell to the ground. Quickly looking up, I saw a girl lower a silver bow, immediately recognizing her as Penelope Seabrooke from the Iris message. She wasn't alone, either. Two other girls came out from the trees, flanking her on each side.

"Penelope! Gods, you have perfect timing!"

* * *

 **AENEAS**

* * *

"You know, for a guy who claims to not give a shit about romance, you spend an awful lot of time in front of a mirror."

I had just finished today's training session with the Fifth Cohort's _probatio_ , and like always, I returned to the barracks to clean up before doing anything else. I didn't mind getting sweaty from working like some of my half siblings, but I couldn't stand looking… well, _messy_. I never would admit it out loud, but… I was very self-conscious. It was hard enough being a _son_ of the goddess of _love_. At least Venus got more credit from the Romans than Aphrodite did from the Greeks.

But Vince had found me, and was waiting for me to finish 'primping' as he called it. He was leaning against the wall next to the mirror we had put up in our section of the barracks, above the wash basin we had added, because having to go to all the way to the baths every morning _just_ to shave was really annoying. Vince was lucky that he didn't have that problem.

"There's a difference between wanting to look your best to impress someone and wanting to look your best for yourself," I stated dryly as I ran a brush through my damp blond hair.

With how Vince rolled his eyes, I could tell he wasn't completely convinced. "And that's why you're such a heartbreaker, Aeneas."

"I am not." I set down my brush and leaned closer to the mirror to check my face again, _just_ to be sure I hadn't missed a spot while shaving this morning. "They're not thinking with their hearts."

" _Ouch_." I could hear the grimace in his voice. "I felt that one."

"It's not a lie." Satisfied, I stood up straight and looked over at my friend. "Vince, I know you're hellbent on finding someone for me and nothing I do will stop you… but come _on_. Do you really think I'll find someone _here?_ "

"Actually..." Vince crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm kinda hoping that you'll find a _Greek_. You and another Roman is just asking for trouble."

I fought the urge to groan. Four days into Vince's quest to set me up with a girl, and even after trying to make the best of it, I felt like pulling my hair out. Gods, he wasn't going to stop, was he? I should have known better than to think he would. We both may have changed a lot over the years, but he was still the king of stubbornness. I guess I wasn't much better in that regard either.

"Can we just… worry about more important things?" I sighed.

"This _is_ important!" he chided. "Besides, we're getting more Greek visitors soon. Lee and Ray and that new girl whose name suddenly slips my mind."

"Eleni," I answered automatically.

"Ha! So you _do_ remember." Vince smiled smugly, like he just won some kind of bet. "You're always forgetting the names of the girls you work with."

I let out an exasperated sigh. "Of _course_ I remember! Gods, I only forget their names because I don't interact with them every day."

"So you'll forget her name too, huh?"

I groaned. "That's not what I meant, dammit. You make me sound like an ass."

"Aeneas, sometimes you _can_ be an ass."

Okay, so I wasn't the nicest guy all the time. But who _was?_ I sighed, feeling exasperated, fighting the urge to run a hand through my hair and mess it up again. I knew Vince was just trying to help me, but gods, he wasn't helping me feel good about myself. I walked over to my bunk to put away my hairbrush. I really did not want to talk about this.

"Look, I know you're trying to help, but I really don't have time for this right now, Vince," I said, turning towards him. "I have a lot on my plate right now. I have my centurion and senator duties, college applications, regular camp activities, and now to top it off, I have to worry about murders, a prophecy, and Greek demigods on a quest visiting."

"All right, I'll admit that's a good point," Vince sighed. "I'll make a deal with you—I'll leave you alone until all this craziness dies down if you agree to at least _try out_ going on a date with a girl."

Gods… He seriously was _not_ going to let up. There was no point even fighting it anymore.

So fighting the urge to sigh, I nodded. "Deal."

"Well, it shouldn't be too hard," a familiar voice said. "Half of the girls here are in love with you. Unless you pick one of the girls in love with Hector. That'd suck."

We both looked over to see Melanie come into the room. I was a bit surprised to see her, but then I realized she was probably looking for me because we were supposed to meet to go over the list of preparations for the Greek visitors to make sure everything was done. She sauntered over to us, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket, which she was probably wearing due to the rainy weather we had gotten today.

"Do share, Melanie," Vince said, a playful smirk tugging on his lips. "If there are only two types of girls here, which one are you? A girl who likes Aeneas or a girl who likes Hector?"

Oh, how the tables have turned.

"Wh-What?" She was clearly caught off guard, with how her eyes widened and her cheeks darkened. But it was short lived, as she started scowling. "Neither! I'm… part of the one percent that's in love with _neither_."

"Wow, you denied that rather quickly," Vince commented, still smirking. "Are you _sure_ you don't have anything to tell us, Mel?"

"Shut _up_ , Vince!" she snapped, her face getting even redder. "Gods, you're insufferable!"

"I don't know, you kind of set yourself up for that," I said wryly.

"Oh, don't you start," she retorted, glowering at me. "Come _on_ , we have work to do."

"I know, I know," I said, feeling exasperated again. "Relax, Melanie. Vince was only joking around." I hesitated, looking over at my friend. "…Right, Vince?"

He gave a shrug. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Aeneas. I'll catch you later."

Okay, that didn't really make me feel any better. Just what was my best friend up to? Did I even want to know? _Probably not_.

"All right, see you," I said, before walking over to where Melanie was waiting. "Let's go."

She nodded, her blush finally starting to fade, and we headed out of the barracks.

* * *

 **ELENI**

* * *

I sat beside the lake, as Penelope tended to my wounded arm. As it wasn't an emergency, they didn't let me eat any ambrosia. Lee had thought it would be okay, but Ray insisted it would be better to save it for when we really needed it. The Hunters took out their first aid supplies and Penelope used them to patch up my wounds as best she could.

The strix had done a lot of damage… to the point where Penelope took out a needle and thread for stitches. I did my best to suck it up and not make a sound, but when I did that, the grass near the shoreline where we were sitting all starting dying. If anyone noticed, they didn't say anything. I was glad they didn't, though. Gods, why couldn't I have just eaten the ambrosia? I knew that we needed it for more life threatening injuries, but a little bite couldn't have hurt.

"Well, that's the best I can do," Penelope said as she finished wrapping bandages around my arm. "Movement will be limited, but at least you're not a leftie."

"…Actually, she is," Lee said with a wince.

"It could be worse," Ray said. "A _lot_ worse."

"Yeah, we could've _no_ t been sent by Artemis," one of Penelope's friends, a demigod named Libby, said. "You'd all be chicken feed right now if it wasn't for us."

I wasn't sure who her godly parent was, but Libby had just rejoined us after scouting the area with Acacia, a dryad, who was still out among the trees looking for signs of where the striges came from. She a little taller than average, built lean and athletic, with curly auburn hair that she wore up in a simple ponytail, a plethora of freckles, and blue eyes. Like Penelope, she sort of had this silver aura and was wearing a silver jacket, a white shirt, silvery camo pants, and black combat boots.

"Okay, they were _owls_ ," Ray retorted. "We'd be _owl feed_. Get it right."

"Hey, I got my point across," Libby said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Penelope let out an exasperated sigh. "Cut it out, you two. Artemis sent us to help you get to Camp Half-Blood after I told her what you told me. She and the rest of the Hunters went on to Mount Olympus so Artemis can relay the message to Zeus. Thalia wanted to come with us, but she had to stay with them, being the lieutenant and all."

"Thalia?" I repeated, the name sounding familiar for some reason. "Who is that?"

"My half-sister," Lee answered. "A daughter of Zeus. She used to go to Camp Half-Blood before she joined the Hunters."

"And that's why Jason and Lee are the only boys we tolerate," Libby declared.

"What about Paris?" I asked, curious about why he was left out of that list.

Penelope grimaced, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. "Paris… With a name like that, the Hunters automatically distrust him. It's just… better that way."

…Why did I get the nagging feeling that she was hiding something?

"I guess Ray is okay, too," Libby noted. "Since it's not like he's gonna hit on us or anything."

"I'm so glad I have your approval," Ray said sarcastically.

Penelope returned her attention to me. "You should consider joining us, though. We're always in need of powerful women. And we saw what you did with the striges. You have potential."

My eyes widened. "M-Me? Join the Hunters of Artemis?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah. But you'd have to give up boys forever. So it's not something you should decide on a whim." Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out what looked like a business card. "Here, take this. If you decide you want to become a Hunter, you can use that."

I accepted the card from her, looking at it. The letters shimmered like silvery moonlight. I stared at it for a moment, overcome by a sense of déjà vu, like I had already experienced this… or something like this. Ugh… why did my life have to become so freaking weird? Oh right, because the Greek gods just _have_ to be real.

But… it was tempting. I mean… being essentially immortal, traveling with a bunch of girls who would become like sisters to you, hunting monsters and helping keep the world safe… Not having to worry about boys ever again… That sounded like a great life.

I… never had any luck with boys. I just didn't. Whether it was because I have no social skills or resting bitch face, I was never sure. But there was never a boy who gave me the time of day. I'd never held hands, or kissed someone, or even been on a date. The closest I got to any of that was the one time some guy asked me out as a joke my freshman year. I had been so _humiliated_. I have given up hoping that someday I'd meet someone who'd like me for me a long time ago. Being single for the rest of my life… I had accepted it. So why not run with it?

But Penelope was right. I needed to take some time to think about it first. I still had this quest to complete, and they needed my help to solve the murders. Maybe, once this was all over, I could join the Hunters.

"I'll think about it," I said, looking back up at Penelope.

At that moment, Acacia returned. Like all nymphs, she had elvish features, like pointy ears, and she was short and petite. She had straight dark brown hair that fell all the way down to her waist, fair skin, and bright green eyes. Like her friends, she was wearing a silver jacket, white shirt, silvery camo pants, and black combat boots.

"Did you find anything, Acacia?" Penelope asked.

The dryad shook her head. "No, nothing. Monsters leave tracks, but there are absolutely no signs of where these striges came from. It's like they appeared out of thin air."

"That totally isn't creepy or anything," Lee muttered under his breath.

"Well, we should probably get out of here," Ray suggested. "Just in case more of those things show up."

Penelope nodded. "I agree. We'll keep moving until we find a decent camping spot. It's probably safer to avoid civilization right now, if monsters are after you. We don't need to endanger innocent mortals."

It was agreed, then, that all six of us would head off. I was a bit apprehensive about it. I had just gotten used to traveling with Lee and Ray only to have three new people join our group. At least they seemed nice… and more interested in talking to me than the boys. Time passed quickly, though, and before I knew it, we were setting up camp, having dinner, and settling down for the evening.

I was just glad that today was over with.


	8. Camp Jupiter? More Like Camp Secrets

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 8: CAMP JUPITER? MORE LIKE CAMP SECRETS**

* * *

 **ELENI**

* * *

 _Friday, July 1st, 2033._

* * *

Long story short, the Hunters helped us get to Camp Jupiter. It took a couple of days, but we made it—not without fighting more monsters, but there was nothing we could do about that other than kill them as quickly as possible. My injured arm being my dominant hand gave me some trouble, but after the incident with the striges, my powers were coming out more easily.

For example… I discovered while fighting some more striges (I swear to the gods, Erebos was just trying to make Ray hate his mother's animals), that I can summon the dead to fight for me. It kind of freaked both Lee and Penelope out, but… part of me felt that it was because I was, well, _getting stronger_. We were all children of the Big Three… It had to be threatening. Lee was my friend, but… Penelope and I had just met in person.

The Hunters took us to the Caldecott Tunnel, but that was as far as they said they'd go. They told us that they would rejoin Artemis and the rest of the Hunters, who would then head to Camp Half-Blood for the annual camp get together, which was apparently coming up. We said goodbye, and parted ways, heading into the tunnel. I also reluctantly dismissed Misty, because Ray said it probably would be a bad idea to bring the hellhound into Camp Jupiter. The darkness made me a bit nervous with everything that was happening, especially with Misty gone, but at least I could see.

As we walked along, I glanced over at Lee, who was slightly ahead of me. With how uneasy this was making me, I... wished I could hold his hand for comfort. But he was dating Ray... That would be inappropriate. I mentally chided myself for even thinking about it.

"We should be reaching the end soon," Lee said, breaking the silence. "See, the light's getting brighter."

"Thank the gods," Ray muttered. "I've had enough of the dark already."

"You're not the only one," I sighed. At least their powers didn't rely on it heavily.

We picked up our pace, all but hurrying to the exit. I felt so much relief stepping out in the open air, seeing the sun still shining brightly up in the cloudless blue sky. I let out a sigh as the boys stopped on either side of me, but my moment of peace was short lived.

"Hey!"

There were two kids in bright purple t-shirts and what looked like Roman legionnaire armor, a boy and a girl. I guessed it was the boy who had spoken. I glanced over at Lee, hoping that maybe he knew them. If not, well… time for more awkward introductions. You'd think I'd be used to it by now…

"Oh, hey, Riley," Lee said, much to my relief. "And, uh… Berenice, right?"

The girl had to be around twelve or thirteen, with boy short brown hair, tanned skin, and brown eyes, built athletically but still kind of scrawny due to her young age. She scowled something fierce, crossing her arms over her chest, like she was insulted that he wasn't entirely sure of her name.

 _"Berenice Victor_ , legionnaire of the Fifth Cohort, for your information," she stated hotly.

…Ugh. Middle schoolers.

The boy looked around fourteen or fifteen, and had bright red curls that fell into his light green eyes, wild as the mischievous gleam in them. His entire face was splashed with freckles that matched his hair, but mostly over the bridge of his nose and cheekbones. He was a bit short for a guy, being dwarfed by Lee in particular, and had this skinny, wiry build that made me think of a runner. He was kind of cute, in a boyish way.

"Haha, don't mind Bernie," he laughed. "I'm Riley Lockwood, also a legionnaire of the Fifth Cohort."

Berenice glowered at him. "How many times do I have to tell you _not_ to call me that?!"

He just ignored her, continuing as if she hadn't spoken a word. "Well, if you're here, we better show you down to camp! Aeneas will wanna know ASAP. He'd prolly bust a vein if we didn't tell him right away."

"Aeneas is not that-" Berenice began to protest, only to cut herself off. "Never mind, he is. Gods."

Ray leaned closer to us and covered the side of his mouth near the kids to whisper. "Guess it's true that Aeneas still needs to get laid."

Lee's eyes widened. "Ray! Gods, there are so many reasons you shouldn't say that."

Yeah, like my face getting as red as a not golden apple. Gods… This was going to make meeting Aeneas Belrose even more awkward. Thank you, Raymond Wise. I really appreciate it.

"Well, let's get goin'!" Riley exclaimed cheerfully. "It's just a short walk across the Little Tiber, then to whichever of our centurions we can find first!"

* * *

Needless to say, it was _not_ a short walk. It was far from short. After traveling across the country mostly walking, I was pretty done with it. I wished I could have just ridden Misty into Camp Jupiter. That would've been a pretty memorable entrance. My feet ached, my arm still throbbed occasionally, and I felt dirty and sweaty. The boys weren't fairing much better either. Our arrival to the Roman camp would be memorable regardless.

"Sooooo…" Riley ended up sidling right up next to me as we walked. "You're Eleni, right?"

"Yes," I answered, mildly surprised that my voice didn't stammer like it usually did when I met new people.

"Cool, cool," he said. "My mom's Ceres—that's Demeter for you, if you didn't know."

"I'm… familiar with the Roman counterparts," I said slowly, realizing what that meant. "Um… demigods don't hold grudges against other demigods because of their parents' relationships, right?"

Ray must have overheard, because he snorted. "Gods, you don't want to see Athena and Poseidon kids going at it, then. My sister clashes with Maia like no tomorrow."

"It's nothing against you personally," Riley stated, straightforward. "Your dad's just a _kidnapper_. My mom still throws a fit _every_ winter."

I let out an exasperated sigh, and the grass at my feet died. "Well, I'm _sorry_ that Hades kidnapped Persephone. Or Pluto kidnapped Proserpina. Or whatever! Actually, I'm _not_ sorry. Zeus gives the worst love advice ever, so don't go blaming Hades for it!"

Thunder boomed in the distance, making Lee wince. "Can we… _not_ insult him every time we talk about Greek mythology?"

"I dunno, Eleni has a point," Ray said, shrugging.

Lee gave him a withering look. I really got the feeling that this was routine for them. I hadn't known them for very long—only for eight days, in fact—but I felt like we'd been friends for a long time. And that was why I was feeling myself finally relax. My social anxiety would never go away, but now I was starting to feel free to be myself. It'd probably change if they weren't here.

They were my friends. And that made me even more terrified to lose one of them… But I reminded myself that we were most likely _not_ in danger here, so I had nothing to worry about right now. Whoever was fated to die was still safe at this point in time.

I had been telling myself this a lot lately… and I knew it was because I was trying to avoid the truth. The truth of what? I didn't want to think about it. But it wasn't the fact that someone was going to die.

Riley and Berenice led us into Camp Jupiter. We passed quite a few campers, all wearing purple t-shirts that had the letters _SPQR_ surrounded by laurel branches in gold. I guess they had their version of camp shirts as well. But the similarities seemed to end there. As we walked along, and I took in all the buildings, I got the feeling that the Romans had a lot more structure… which made sense.

We veered towards the barracks, and that was when I noticed two teenagers standing near the doorway of a building, underneath a plaque that read something that looked like Latin, going over papers on a clipboard.

"Hey! Aeneas! Melanie!" Riley called, waving before scampering up to them. "Guess who's here!"

They both looked up as we caught up to him. There was a guy, and a girl. I wasn't sure what I expected of the centurions of the Fifth Cohort, but this wasn't quite it.

The guy, who I assumed was this Aeneas Belrose I had heard so much about, seemed to force a smile, like he was trying to hide that he was stressed. "Good to see you, Lee and Ray. And you must be Eleni, the newest camper. I'm Aeneas Belrose, and this is my fellow centurion, Melanie Lavigne."

So… I might not have reacted the best way for a good first impression.

Aeneas was, if I recalled correctly, the son of Venus, just like his namesake. And that would explain why he was so damn attractive. I mean, there are handsome boys, like Lee and Ray, and Riley was cute, but then there's… _this_.

He wasn't that tall, probably about a couple inches shorter than Lee, shorter than Ray even, but he didn't need it. Looking around sixteen or seventeen, he was broad shouldered, like he still had some growing to do, and obviously muscular. I swear to the gods his biceps were thicker than Lee's. He had straight golden blond hair that looked like it had been growing out of a buzz cut for a while now, with how his bangs were pointing down towards his forehead. His skin seemed rather fair, which explained why he didn't have a tan like most of the campers I'd seen so far, and his eyes were a pale, soft shade of blue, like a baby's. He was, of course, wearing the purple Camp Jupiter t-shirt, along with jeans and a pair of boots.

I think I might not have said anything intelligible, if anything at all, because Ray turned to me and said, "Look, I know he's dreamy, but it's rude to stare."

"Hey!" Lee protested, giving him a look.

"Hey yourself, you know it's true," Ray said, very matter-of-fact, as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I… refuse to respond to that," Lee sighed.

I opened my mouth to say something so I wouldn't be rude, but another wave of anxiety hit me, and I clammed up. I shut my mouth, fidgeting, and tried to inconspicuously edge closer to Lee. His presence was always reassuring.

I wasn't one to judge by appearances, so saying I instantly crushed on Aeneas would be incredibly wrong. He was just extremely attractive to the point of surprising me—that was all. Of all the boys I'd ever had crushes on throughout my life, it was always after I got to know them better. Sometimes, it was after we had become friends—well, the few occasions I _made_ friends. For all I knew, Aeneas could be an asshole who was just pretending to be nice right now… like Paris.

Days had passed. From the first day I met Lee, he had been protecting me. During this trip, Lee and Ray had been working together to teach me how to fight better the best they could without a proper training setting. Lee more so than Ray, as Ray was too busy being the planner. We'd been talking even more, too, due to my powers developing, and Lee wanted to help the best he could. He understood that controlling your abilities as a child of the Big Three was not easy.

And that made it harder for me to ignore everything.

"So, are we done praising Aeneas's amazingly good looks, or are you going to continue to gush about him?" the female centurion asked bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Melanie, come on," Aeneas said, letting out an exasperated sigh. "You don't have to word it like that. We are moving on, regardless. We have much to discuss. Eleni, you're the daughter of Hades, right? We could use your help."

"…My help?" That caught my attention, pulling me out of my shyness slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Yes, because telling Greeks about what's happening is a _brilliant_ idea!" Melanie snapped, all but rounding on him. "Don't you see that she's carrying _Katoptris_?"

My hand instinctively dropped down to the hilt of the dagger. "What does Katoptris have to do with anything?"

"Whoa, I think we all need to just _calm down_ ," Lee said, raising his hands. "Yeah, Eleni has Katoptris. She's not the only demigod to use it in the past fifteen years. What's the big deal?"

"Melanie…" Aeneas frowned, looking at his fellow centurion with concern. "Are you feeling all right? You're not acting like yourself."

I took a better look at her then, to see if anything was obviously wrong. She looked around Aeneas's age, making her sixteen or seventeen, and was a little taller than average. She wore her straight, dark brown hair up in a perfectly done high ponytail, and her eyes reminded me of red wine. She had rolled up the sleeves of her purple Camp Jupiter t-shirt, and had on a pair of pretty short dark jean shorts, and black lace-up ankle boots. But nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but I doubted I could really tell. I didn't know her.

Melanie glowered darkly. "What do you mean _'not acting like yourself'_? Shouldn't _I_ be the judge of that?"

"Damn, what is your _problem?_ " Aeneas demanded in agitation. "I'm trying to get behind these murders, and we could use the help of a child of Hades or Pluto."

My eyes widened. "Murders are happening here too?"

They both turned to look at me. Aeneas's eyes widened, too, while Melanie's narrowed. For a moment, no one said a thing. I looked over at Lee and Ray, and they appeared just as surprised and concerned as I felt. So… we weren't the only ones getting attacked…

Finally, sighing heavily, Aeneas nodded. "Yes. Our Greek exchange campers have been turning up dead, without a sign of what killed them."

Chills ran down my spine as his words sunk in. Oh my gods… Romans were dying at Camp Half-Blood, and Greeks were dying at Camp Jupiter… There was no way this could just be a coincidence. It had to be a part of the big prophecy that Chiron had shared with us.

 _Darkness falls across the land,_

 _Sealing half-bloods' fates with its brand._

Lee had gone completely stiff, frowning grimly. "The same thing has been happening to us, except with the Roman exchangers."

So the situation was so much worse than we originally feared… If this truly was Erebos's doing, he was targeting both camps. Was he trying to get us to fight each other? To what end? For what purpose? Was it because so many of us were named after heroes in the Trojan War? Was this just a game to him? The prophecy I got for this quest came to mind now…

 _Return from the land of your sire,_

 _To witness a situation most dire._

 _Swords will be drawn,_

 _Brains against brawn._

 _Fear the dark, Child of the Dead,_

 _For one must die in your stead._

Something bad was going to happen when we got back… and I would bet that it had everything to do with the murders in both camps. There would be fighting. And someone would die saving me… I wasn't sure what _brains against brawn_ meant but maybe it had to do with how Ray was so good with strategy, so he would be devising a plan to help us win against whatever we faced.

At least… that was what I _hoped_. I could be _so_ very wrong about this…

"Well, this is just great," Melanie muttered. "What are _we_ supposed to do about this? Claudia is too busy trying to get Hector to face reality."

Aeneas sighed. "I don't think we're going to make any progress on either side until we can sit down and talk about it. Like the annual get together. It's coming up soon."

"I keep on hearing about that," I said. "Do the camps gather together every year?"

Ray nodded. "Yeah, every year, one of the camps will visit the other for a week of games and celebrations. It's been a tradition since the defeat of Gaea."

My eyes widened. "You've defeated _Gaea?_ "

"Well, not us personally," Aeneas laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "It happened like fifteen years ago. That's what the Heroes of Olympus did. I'm sure you've heard of them at least once by now. It's kind of hard not to."

Gods… I wasn't sure what was worse. Facing Mother Nature, who was everywhere as long as you were on land, or Erebos, the embodiment of one of mankind's greatest fears. Both were not my top choice for enemies. But if Gaea could be defeated, then maybe so could Erebos. I had to stay hopeful about this…

"I see… Well, maybe we should Iris message Chiron…" I frowned, thinking. "He should probably know it's going on in both camps."

"That's probably _not_ a good idea," Melanie said, before either of my friends could agree or disagree. "Hector didn't want Camp Half-Blood to know about this for a reason."

Gods, she was getting on my nerves… Was she this rude to everyone? What did we do to deserve such an attitude? We were only trying to make this situation better!

"Oh yes, because keeping secrets _always_ solves problems," I retorted sarcastically.

"Okay, okay, we don't need to get at each other's throats," Aeneas interrupted quickly, before his fellow centurion could respond. "Melanie, why don't you go take a break? We're not going to get anything done like this."

She scowled. "Fine, whatever. But don't do anything that would get Hector on your bad side, got it?"

"Sheesh, you act like I purposely try to antagonize him," Aeneas muttered.

"Just don't want you to get in trouble if I'm not there to save your sorry ass," she retorted, before turning her back to us and heading inside the building.

"Gods…" He ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry about that. She's not usually this… aggressive."

"…Is she your girlfriend?" I asked out of curiosity, because just then, she really sounded like she cared about him, in a weird, brutish way.

His eyes widened. "What? _Melanie?_ No, gods no. I don't have a girlfriend."

…Oh. Well, that was surprising… Wasn't he supposed to be a son of the goddess of love? Was I missing something here? Or was Venus just that different from Aphrodite? Gods, the aspect thing was confusing. It made me wonder how Pluto was different from Hades.

"And that will change if _I_ have anything to do about it!"

I admit it. I jumped in surprise at the sound of a new voice that came out of the middle of nowhere, and a circle of dead grass surrounded me. Gods, I hated how things just died around me in reaction to my emotions. A guy around Aeneas's age came sauntering over towards him.

"Vince, really?" Aeneas sighed as the guy casually threw his arm around his shoulders.

"Yes, really," this Vince said, cracking a big, mischievous grin. "That's what best friends are for!"

Aeneas just sighed again very loudly, like he had been putting up with this for a while now.

Ray laughed. "I was wondering when you were going to show up, Vince!"

He appeared around seventeen, was kind of short for a guy, and rather slim—perhaps too slim for a boy, which was strange. His straight dark brown hair was boyishly shaggy, and a bit on the messy side. He had a decent tan, and hazel eyes that seemed to have a perpetual roguish twinkle that made me think of a child of Hermes. He did have slightly more feminine features, which I noticed once I paid more attention to it. He was wearing a purple Camp Jupiter t-shirt, khaki shorts, and a pair of sneakers.

He grinned brightly, winking at both of my friends. "Hell yeah, man! Great to see you two! I swear, it's been ages! Looking good!"

"Um who are you?" I asked warily, feeling nervous again.

His attention shifted to me, and he immediately let go of Aeneas. "Oh hey, a cute girl! I mean, I guessed you'd be cute, but damn girl, you've got it."

For the second time today, my face got red as an apple. "U-Um… thank you…?"

"You're welcome!" he replied cheerfully. "Name's Vincent Soldati, but you can just call me Vince. I'm Aeneas's best friend. And you must be the lovely Eleni Spiros, yeah?"

"Um… yes." My face felt like it was going to melt off with how hot it was. "That's… me. But I'm not… _that_ pretty."

"Hey! Hey, none of that nonsense." Vince shook his head, putting his hands on his hips. "Listen here, dude. That knife you got there? It's called _Katoptris_. It doesn't go to ugly people. The last owner was Aeneas's half-sister, and she's pretty gorgeous. And the owner before her was _Helen_ and I don't think I need to explain her."

"You really could have worded that better, you know," Aeneas sighed.

He gave a shrug. "It got my point across."

I was kind of taken aback, and because of that, I didn't really know what to say. I suppose that should have made me feel better, but… being compared to a daughter of Aphrodite and Helen of Troy was not very self-esteem increasing. I usually didn't care much about my appearance, as long as I looked presentable. I had always been fond of my hair, even if I didn't like how dark my eyes were, or how pale I was. When I was sent to therapy, my therapist helped me find the things I liked about myself. There weren't many things I was good at, but I liked my hair. But now, surrounded by all these demigods, I suddenly was struck with the all too familiar feeling of not being good enough.

"So, uh, can I get a word in now?" Lee asked awkwardly. "Aeneas wanted to discuss what's going on."

"Right, that's _exactly_ what I wanted to talk about," Aeneas stated, shooting his friend a dirty look. "Let's not keep on getting sidetracked."

"Sorry man, I just get distracted by beautiful girls," Vince said before giving me a wink.

I was finally starting to feel better, and then my face burst to flames again. I would've taken another step closer to Lee if it wouldn't mean I'd be invading his personal space.

"Gods, will you…" Aeneas pressed a hand to his forehead. "Can't you see that you're making her extremely uncomfortable?"

"Awwww…" Vince seemed disappointed. "Sorry, I'll curb it in."

"Well, one thing's for sure," Ray said, looking over at us. "Vince hasn't changed one bit."

Lee made a face. "I've noticed."

 _"Moving on_ ," Aeneas said, sounding frustrated, "we should go somewhere else to talk. I don't want anyone overhearing our discussion. Like Melanie mentioned, Hector has given the order that no one share what is happening here with the Greeks. I could get in serious trouble if he found out, but it's a risk I'm willing to take."

Wow… that was… admirable. He was going against the authority by doing this, wasn't he? Maybe he wasn't an asshole at all. That made me feel better. I wasn't sure if I'd ever make friends with a Roman centurion, but at least he wasn't a jerk.

"Does Claudia know about this?" Lee asked.

Aeneas nodded. "She does. She's the one who wanted me to look into it, since Hector refuses to do anything. But not working with her fellow praetor and going under him like this could be considered treason."

"Then we should find a private place to talk," Ray said.

"Good idea," Lee agreed. "How about somewhere in New Rome?"

"New Rome?" I asked. "Oh wait, that's the city where former campers go to live, right?"

Aeneas nodded. "That's right. It's a bit far, but I'll show the way."

* * *

So, Aeneas and Vince showed us the way to New Rome. We encountered… Lares as we walked, and they all began muttering _graceus_ at us—me more so than Lee and Ray. It was extremely unsettling, and Aeneas explained that it was because we were Greeks, and the Lares still weren't incredibly fond of them. I wasn't sure if I should take that as because I'm a Greek demigod, or because I'm actually of Greek descent. It probably was because of both. I doubted the Lares appreciated the double dose of Greek.

But they took us to a guest house, explaining that's where we would be sleeping tonight, and gods, I was so happy to finally have a place to stay. Vince left before our discussion started because he had something to take care of. The conversation we had about the murders was straight to the point, but no new information could be given to either side. The situations were identical, right down to what we knew. It was frustrating, but there was nothing we could do about it.

Aeneas left after that, saying he would come get us tomorrow to take us to meet the praetors. And that meant I could _finally_ clean up. I claimed one of the bathrooms before anyone else, so I could shower. I had to be careful because of the stitches in my left arm, and the hot water made the injuries sting. Once I was done, I dried off and put on the last set of clean clothes I had, which included my Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and a pair of shorts. It felt so good to be clean again.

I left the bathroom to go in the bedroom I had chosen out of the seven that were in the house—it was _huge_. There were two bathrooms in total, so by the time I got out, both of my friends had finished cleaning up as well. They were relaxing in the main room on the first floor, talking about something. I took note of this before slipping into my bedroom.

It was a simple room, with a twin-sized bed and paintings of nature hanging on the white walls. Golden curtains hung on the one window on the wall directly across from the door. There was a closet, a mahogany dresser, a desk with a very comfy looking plush swivel chair in front of it, and even a mirror in one of the corners. I walked over to the bed, set down my bag, and pulled out my hair brush and comb to start working on detangling my wet curls. Gods, it was a mess.

It took some time, but I managed to get out all of the snarls. I pleated my hair back in a French braid before leaving the room to find my friends. What I didn't intend on doing was nearly bumping into Lee in the process.

"Whoa, sorry!" he apologized hastily, taking a step back. "I was coming back to look for you. How's your arm?"

Cheeks flushed with embarrassment, I hastily looked down at my arm, grateful to have something other than him to look at. "It's fine… My arm still hurts a lot, honestly…"

Braiding my hair had triggered otherwise dormant pain. I was trying not to move it all that much, but then he reached forward to take my wrist and lift up my arm. Pain shot from where the stitches were woven into my skin just from that movement, and I grimaced, my blush also darkening from the touch. Gods… I was a mess today. This was just _Lee_. I shouldn't be reacting like this…

"Dammit, Ray _really_ shouldn't have stopped you from eating some ambrosia," he muttered, frowning agitatedly. "I'm not a healer, so I can't really judge, but neither is Penelope. Maybe we should find an Apollo camper and ask them to take a look."

My eyes widened, and I pulled my arm away. "N-No, it's fine, really, see?"

Trying to prove my point, I waved my arm up and down, only for it to hurt even more.

Lee sighed, not looking convinced. "Are you _sure?_ "

Actually, no… but I couldn't let him know that. "Yes… It's fine, _really_."

He continued to frown, looking at me with concern. "You know, Eleni… you don't have to act all tough. We know you haven't been going to camp for years like we have. You don't have any formal training. You hadn't even seen any monsters until over a week ago. We're here to _help_ you, but we can't do that if you don't _let_ us."

"I'm not—I'm _not_ trying to be tough!" I insisted, trying not to panic over the fact that he wasn't just letting it drop. "It's really okay!"

Lee reached up to run a hand through his hair, tousling his dark locks. "Eleni, I can see through your façade. Your arm _is_ hurting you."

I bit my bottom lip, my hands clenching on reflex. Gods… I hated confrontations enough already, but he _had_ to make a big deal out of this… My arm was going to get better eventually! Right…?

"Look," Lee sighed, "I know we're all stressed out. Ray's trying not to show it, but the prophecy is really stressing him. It's… bothering me too. I imagine you're dealing with it as well."

It wasn't a lie, that was for sure. I shrugged weakly, not sure what to say. The prophecy was hanging over our heads, taunting us about how only two out of three would survive. Every day, I worried about who it would be. Our return to Camp Half-Blood would trigger Fate.

"I know, but…" I sighed. "Just being here… is hard. Talking to people… is hard. It's not just my arm, or the prophecy, Lee…"

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I'm an outcast," I muttered, glancing down. "You know everyone mostly avoided me at camp. I can't talk to people, and nobody likes me."

Lee sighed. "Eleni, listen to me. I… used to care a lot about what people thought about me. Paris was a huge influence of that, even before he… changed. He's my older brother, and I wanted to be like him. But I… ended up being better than him, because I tried so hard. Everyone liked me then. I was the Achilles they expected and wanted. But then…"

I looked back up at him, hesitating. "Then what?"

"I failed," he said quietly, his electric blue eyes growing stormier. "I don't really think about it much anymore, because the past is the past, but… one year, during the annual get together, we had this huge game of Siege while using a part of the Labyrinth. We were defending since it was our home turf. That year, we… lost. Because of me."

My eyes widened. "What happened?"

"Hector has this weapon that Jupiter gifted him," Lee began to explain, his voice heavy. "It's a spear, but the spearhead is unique. It's shaped like a lightning bolt, and he uses it to summon lightning. Hector decided he would fight me that day. I was only thirteen, so as you can probably guess, I had no chance of winning that fight. I have a scar…" He reached up to place a hand over his left shoulder. "…right here. From that spearhead. Chiron says I would have died if Will hadn't been visiting that year for the celebration."

I stared at him, eyes widening even more. "Oh my gods…"

"Yeah." His hand dropped back down to his side. "I was no longer invincible, like my namesake, so that was when I started losing favor in Zeus's eyes. Suddenly, I was not the cool guy everyone thought I was. The change was hard, but Ray, and Cassie, too, helped me get through it. My point is, Eleni… I know it's hard to stop, but letting people's opinions affect you isn't going to help you in the long run."

He was right, of course… I sighed chewing on my bottom lip and looking down at my shoes. I was hit by a wave of embarrassment from how stupid this must seem to him; how stupid _I_ must seem to him. I was being a baby about this… I kept on humiliating myself over and over, showing too much of how I felt about things. If I just kept it all to myself-

"And for the record, people _do_ like you," he said. "I like you. Ray likes you. And I'm pretty sure Cassie does too."

I…

I couldn't. Not after everything I'd been through recently. These past eight days had been a roller coaster ride of emotions I couldn't handle.

Tears began to fill my eyes and I covered my mouth with my hand in an attempt to muffle the sob building up in my throat. Lee's eyes widened as he realized what was happening. I didn't want to cry, but I couldn't help it. I had reached my breaking point in this roller coaster ride.

"I… I'm _sorry_ ," I cried, doing the only thing I could think of—hugging Lee.

He froze as my arms went around him and I buried my face into his shoulder on reflex. I half expected him to push me away, but instead, I felt him slip his arms around me and hug me back. That just made me cry harder.

"H-Hey, everything is going to be okay…" he said slowly, sounding a bit bewildered. "I promise. Everything seems crazy right now, with the murders and the prophecy and the quest… but it'll end up okay. We can get through this, Eleni."

How could be it okay, if someone was going to _die_?! Lee or Ray… Ray or Lee… _one_ of them was going to die! At the end of this quest, we would be without one of them. They were my _friends_. I wanted them _both_ alive.

But then a thought blazed through my mind. One I shouldn't have had.

 _If one of them had to die, I'd prefer it to be Ray._

No… Gods, why did I just _think_ that?! What was _wrong_ with me?

But I… already knew the answer to that question. The one thought I had been doing my best to ignore these past few days finally pushed through the mental barrier I had put up, as I stood here, hugging Lee and crying over all the stress I'd endured.

For days now, I'd been telling myself I felt so strongly about the prophesied deaths because I didn't want my new friends to die. Essentially… that was true. But there was more to it than that. Much, much more.

Lee was the first demigod I had met. He was the one who saved my life from the storm spirit… the one who helped me get to Camp Half-Blood. He was the one who helped me the most, talked to me the most, encouraged me the most… He was probably the greatest friend I've had in years, if not ever. I had gotten to know him better these past several days. I felt safe with him around. He was handsome, kind, brave, considerate…

But, underlying all of that… the one thing I had been trying to _ignore_ …

Somehow, in this short period of time, I had developed a crush on Lee.

That… That was why I feared his death more than Ray's.

I was grateful that we were indoors, because the wave of misery that flowed through me was probably enough to kill the vegetation for two, maybe three, yards. Of course I would end up liking someone already taken. I knew he had to at least be bisexual, considering he was charmed by the empousai and that only worked if you were attracted to females. But he had a boyfriend, who he liked a lot, perhaps even loved. _Just my luck_.

I was so _stupid_.

I pulled away from him, quickly stepping back. "S-Sorry… I-I didn't mean to hug you… I'm just…"

"Overwhelmed?" he asked, and all I could do was nod. "We all are, Eleni. It's fine. Sometimes you just need a hug from a friend."

Yeah… a hug from a friend… My heart ached.

I reached up to wipe my face, trying to regain my composure. "Lee, will you… promise me something?"

He frowned thoughtfully, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"…Promise me you won't die."

He opened his mouth like he was going to say, _I can't promise that_ , but stopped himself. He seemed to hesitate, looking at me. My hands were clenched into fists, and I felt like I could start shaking any moment now. I needed an answer, even if I knew there was no way he could actually promise that. Tomorrow, we would be on our way to Los Angeles, where the Underworld was. To meet my father. We would be entering the land of the dead as _mortals_.

I needed to hear him say it. Then maybe I could believe he would live.

Lee closed his eyes for a moment, and finally spoke when he reopened them to meet my gaze. "I promise."

* * *

 **Hello everyone, it's announcement time!**

 **First of all, I'd like to thank each and every one of you who have taken the time to leave reviews. It truly means a lot to me and I really love seeing your thoughts on the story.**

 **Second, we are approaching the end of the first arc! It's pretty short, compared to the second and third arcs. I'm only planning on it being 10-11 chapters long. Thank you for bearing with me, as the first arc is rather slow since I'm introducing most of the characters and the plot and all that. It will be picking up soon, I promise!**

 **Third, once I am done with the first arc, I will be going back to revise what I have and to refresh my memory on what exactly has happened. This may mean the addition of new scenes, I'm not sure yet. We'll see.**

 **Fourth... ships. Yes, finally, is there a glimpse of a potential ship for our protagonist? I dunno, you'll have to read and see. But yes, there will be ships, and once the second arc arrives, we can really get rolling with them. I'm excited!**

 **Fifth, I thought I'd list who our main heroes of the great doomsday prophecy are, now that they've all been introduced: Eleni Spiros (daughter of Hades), Achilles Dalca (son of Zeus), Cassie Harper (daughter of Apollo), Aeneas Belrose (son of Venus), Maia de la Fuente (daughter of Neptune), and Riley Lockwood (son of Ceres). Their POVs will continue to switch throughout the story, like in Heroes of Olympus. Maia and Riley will get their debut POVs in the second arc, so I apologize for that.**

 **Again, thank you for sticking with this story, and I hope you enjoy what is to come!**


	9. Troy This, Troy That

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 9: TROY THIS, TROY THAT**

* * *

 **LEE**

* * *

It was pitch black—not even a fleck of light.

It was cold—as cold as shadow traveling.

I had no idea where I was, other than this obviously being a dream. I couldn't see or feel a thing; it was like I was floating in nothingness. I reached out with my hand, trying to see if I could find something solid. But it was like I was swatting at open air. There was _nothing_ —just darkness. It was unsettling, but I reminded myself that this was just a dream. I would wake up… right?

Then I remembered how Cassie said that darkness had almost swallowed up Eleni when she was having a nightmare, and that was how we assumed the murders were being committed.

 _Shit_.

I started swiping away with my hands again, kicking out with my feet, trying desperately to find some solid ground. I tried not to panic as I continued to flail in emptiness.

 _Greetings, Child of Lightning._

A creepy voice echoed throughout mind, raspy and grating. I froze. Oh gods… Whatever this thing was… was it talking to me?

 _Hello, Master. I'm sorry for taking so long._ Another voice sounded in my head, vaguely familiar, but distorted enough for it to be impossible to decipher. _A lot has been going on. You've made your mark, and the half-bloods are terrified._

 _Good, good._ I didn't need to see the being's face to know it was smiling. _All is going according to plan, then?_

 _Yes, it couldn't be going better,_ the second voice said. _I'm just not sure how we're going to rebuild Troy without Helen. Achilles… is in the way._

…Wait, what? They wanted to rebuild Troy? That totally was _not_ asking for trouble. At _all_. But the mention of my name—if it was me they were talking about—made me nervous. I knew I shouldn't be hearing this conversation.

 _Helen is a tricky one. I understand why she has you nervous,_ the first voice said. _You must get her to come with you willingly. Otherwise, she has a swift method of escape. If she is anything like her namesake, she should be easy to seduce._

…Wait. Who was Helen? Did I even know any Helens? I tried to think… If this Helen was anything like the original, she had to be, like, a daughter of Aphrodite or Venus. Wracking my brain, I tried to think of all the girls in the Aphrodite Cabin back at Camp Half-Blood. _Helen, Helen, Helen…_ No. There was no Helen. That was one name missing from our entourage of demigods named after people in the Trojan War.

 _Easy? Master, have you seen her? I told you Achilles is in the way… in more ways than one._

Okay… which Achilles are they talking about? Me, or the original? This was really unnerving me.

 _Then perhaps you should consider another girl to serve as your Helen,_ the first voice rasped. _Perchance the one you hold close to your heart…_

Wait… so whoever the first voice was talking to… was in love with someone? That didn't really help me narrow it down to anyone I knew—not that I _wanted_ it to be anyone I knew.

 _…Hmmmm. That is a brilliant idea, Master. You never cease to amaze me._

* * *

 _Saturday, July 2nd, 2033._

* * *

I jolted upright in bed, drenched in sweat. _Holy shit_ … it was only a dream. I was still alive. Letting out a relieved sigh, I ran a hand through my damp hair. Gods, that had been… unsettling. What the hell was that all about? Starting a new Trojan War? Rebuilding Troy? That was crazy. The past was the past—why couldn't we just leave it that way?

No, history _always_ has to repeat.

I looked at the clock. It was almost seven o'clock. I needed to get up, take a shower, and get dressed. Knowing Aeneas, he'd come right at eight to get us. I would have been clean enough still since we hadn't really done anything after cleaning up yesterday, but that nightmare made me all sweaty. I rolled out of bed and went to grab some clothes out of my pack.

Once I had everything I needed, I padded out of my room to head to the nearest bathroom. I found the door already open, the light on, and after cautiously peeking inside, I saw that it was only Ray, brushing his teeth, already clean and fully dressed. Thank the gods, I was worried I'd find Eleni indecent or something. That would be so embarrassing.

"Morning," I mumbled, trudging inside. "Did you sleep okay?"

Ray finished brushing his teeth and rinsed his mouth before turning towards me. "Yeah, I slept fine. Why?"

"I had a nightmare," I sighed. "A really weird one."

Ray stiffened. "Like the one Eleni had?"

I shook my head. "No, it was… different. I overheard a conversation."

He frowned, brow furrowing thoughtfully. "What was it about?"

"Something like…" I grimaced. "Rebuilding Troy and finding someone named Helen."

Ray didn't say anything at first, just processing my words. Instead, he just smiled and laughed lightly. "Come on, I think you're letting the whole Fate thing get to you, Lee. Troy is long gone and there will never be another Helen."

"I…" My voice trailed off. I was surprised he didn't believe me. "Why would I make that up?"

"I don't think you made it up," he answered. "I think the whole deal with your name is just starting to get to your head. We're all stressed, so it's no surprise."

"…You think I'm going crazy, don't you?" I accused, bristling.

"What? No, that's _not_ what I meant." Ray let out an exasperated sigh. "Gods, Lee, you're all pent up already and it's only the morning."

"Gee, I wonder why," I muttered.

I remembered just a month ago, maybe a little longer—I wasn't sure anymore with how fast everything was happening—Ray was affectionate as always. We'd been dating for almost two years now; our anniversary was in September. But… something had _changed_ even before we met Eleni. I had no idea what it was. I'd been trying to ignore it. I didn't want to accept that maybe things were changing between us again. But lately, I'd been feeling like we were more like friends than boyfriends. I had been too wrapped up in the prophecy and murders to give it much importance—until now.

But… _now_ was still not the time. This was the last thing I needed to worry about currently, with the chance of one of us dying soon.

"Loosen up a little," Ray said, moving towards the door. "We'll be done with this Underworld business soon. I'll leave you to clean up."

I fought the urge to sigh. How could I 'loosen up' if he wouldn't even _kiss_ me? The last time we kissed was right before the game of Capture the Flag, and that was days ago.

"All right, see you when I'm done," I muttered before he shut the door behind him.

Today was going to be a long day. I was feeling it.

* * *

Once I had showered, dressed, and brushed my hair and my teeth, I headed out into the living room. Ray and Eleni were going over our supplies one last time, by the looks of it. They both looked up as I entered the room.

"Good morning," Eleni greeted me, seeming happier to see me than my boyfriend had been. "We're just going over everything we have, plus the supplies the Romans gave us."

"They gave us supplies?" I asked in surprise.

Ray nodded. "Yeah, I found a box left at the front door."

"Well, that's awfully nice of them," I muttered as I walked over to see what they'd given us. "Nectar, ambrosia, some drachmas, clean clothes… wait, what's this?"

I picked up a folded sheet of paper. It was addressed to me.

"It came with the box," Eleni said quietly. "It's for you."

Frowning, I opened up the piece of paper. It was a letter… It took me a moment, but I recognized the handwriting of… Hector. Seeing this after hearing about my older half-brother's strange behavior, and my conversation with Eleni the previous afternoon was not making me feel good. What was this about? What did he want? Well, there was only one way to find out. I started to read.

 _Lee,_

 _I know we're going to see each other soon, but I have put together some supplies to aid you and your friends on your quest to the Underworld. I imagine that the journey here was not easy. New York is very far from California, and having two children of the Big Three in your group most definitely has not helped. I wish there was an easier way to travel between our two camps. If so, I would have visited you and Paris much more often._

 _Again, we will be meeting soon, and we can discuss things then. I hope you've been well, little brother. I look forward to seeing you._

 _-Hector_

It was short, and to the point—further proof that Hector himself had written it. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about this. Hector was my older brother, and I did like him better than Paris, but he also almost _killed_ me once. I had tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but what I heard from Aeneas yesterday was making me wary of him. And now this… He never reached out to me. He only ever cared about Paris, his full-blooded brother.

Again… it was something I tended not to think about. So much had happened in the sixteen years of my life, I pushed it back so I wouldn't have to deal with it. When I said I strived to be the best against Paris… there was a reason for it. And it all had to do with our father.

Zeus/Jupiter having three sons, all relatively close together, had been a big deal. It made Poseidon/Neptune having two daughters not nearly as big of a deal. Hector and Paris being the ages they were meant that Zeus had broken the pact the Big Three made after World War II not to have any more children. The same went for Poseidon when it came to Penelope. At the end of the Second Titan War, the pact was dissolved, so my existence, Eleni's, and Maia's was acceptable. But I'm pretty sure Zeus breaking the pact again was why Hector and Paris's mother was dead. The monsters found them… and it was too late. I was lucky that a satyr found me before that could happen.

But Zeus wanted to see which of his sons would be the strongest. And of course, little kids want the approval of their father… So Paris and I fell right into his trap. Hector, too, but he was far away at Camp Jupiter, so it didn't affect me as much. Paris and I got along, and were relatively close, but we were always trying to see which one of us was better, in hope of getting Zeus's attention. And it worked. I got Zeus's attention enough for him to give me Bronte, my lightning bolt necklace that turns into both a sword and a spear. Hector eventually got Jupiter's favor enough to receive his spear. But Paris? He only replaced me as Zeus's favorite after Hector nearly killed me, and even then, he struggled to keep it.

I tried to think positively of my brothers, but it was really damn _hard_. Especially with Paris.

Sighing, I refolded the letter. "It's from Hector."

Ray raised an eyebrow. "What did he want?"

"He's just being surprisingly nice," I muttered. "He sent the supplies."

"Is he… normally _not_ nice?" Eleni asked hesitantly.

"Nice isn't the right word… maybe more like… _brotherly?_ " I gave a shrug. "He usually only cares about Paris. I'm surprised he went out of his way to help us."

Ray frowned, narrowing his eyes. "This sounds suspicious."

"Everything sounds suspicious right now," Eleni muttered.

Well… she wasn't _wrong_. Let's not forget the whole reason we were on this quest in the first place. It was pretty obvious to me that an outside force was trying to turn our camps against each other. I just really wondered what direction we were heading with all of this.

"Yeah, well, Aeneas should be here soon," I said. "So we should get ready to leave."

They both nodded, and we all went back to our rooms one last time to get our personal belongings together. Once back in the living room, Ray divided everything up among the three of us. Well, everything other than the nectar and ambrosia. He insisted on carrying itself so we wouldn't waste it. Gods, he was being so stingy about that. I didn't get was going on in his head. Sooner or later, we'd get into a fight, and would need it to _live_. But I didn't want to get into an argument with him about it, so I kept my mouth shut.

There was a knock on the door, and Eleni was the closest, so she went to open it. "Oh, um, hi, Aeneas."

"Hey, are you all set to go?" I heard Aeneas say.

"Yep, we are!" Ray answered, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and walking over towards the door. "Are we just meeting with Claudia and Hector, or…?"

I grabbed my pack, and Eleni's bag, and headed over to join them. When Eleni glanced over, noticing me, I handed her her messenger bag. I slung my pack onto my back, moving to stand next to Ray after I had passed it on.

"Aurelia's going to be there, too," Aeneas answered. "She, uh… has a prophecy that may pertain to Eleni."

Eleni's eyes widened. "M-Me?"

Aeneas nodded. "Yes. Because you have Katoptris. Don't… ask me. It's… complicated. Even she doesn't seem to quite understand it. Oh, Aurelia is our augur, by the way. She's like our equivalent of your Oracle."

Right, I had met her briefly once. She was young, blind, and a little crazy, if you asked me. But now I was curious about what this prophecy was all about. We already had the one we were fulfilling now, and the one about the murders. What even could be added to this mess? I couldn't even imagine anything else.

"I see," she sighed. "Well, um, we shouldn't keep them waiting."

"Agreed," Aeneas said. "Follow me."

* * *

Aeneas took us through Camp Jupiter, leading to the senate building. It was still relatively early, leaving the air cool and crisp. It helped me wake up more, and I started to feel more apprehensive about this meeting with the praetors. Aeneas kept the conversation going, mostly talking to Ray, talking about things they had in common, such as an interest in weapons. I lagged further behind, walking with Eleni, who was shuffling her feet along more than anything.

Gods… As much as I wanted this quest to end, I also didn't want anyone to die. It was such a conflicting feeling, being pulled in two directions.

I think… maybe, before returning to Camp Half-Blood… I would visit my mom one last time. Just in case. I wanted to see her one last time, if I was the one who died.

"Lee?"

Eleni's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I looked down at her. "Yeah?"

"Do you think, maybe, once this is all over…" She glanced down at her feet. "Could you teach me how to fight? Like, with a sword?"

She wanted to learn combat skills? Well, I guess I could help with that… I wasn't the best swordsman in the camp, though Ray and Cassie would argue otherwise. I guess I could teach her… That is, if I was still alive by the time this was over…

"Sure," I said. "Can't promise I'll be a good teacher, but I'll try."

Eleni gave me a reassuring smile. "I'm sure you'll be fine, Lee."

"Haha…" I smiled sheepishly. "Thanks. Glad someone has faith in me."

Neither of us had the chance to say another word, because we arrived at the senate house then. Aeneas opened the door, gesturing for us to all step inside. Ray walked in, Eleni behind him, and I followed them. The hall was empty, which made sense with how early it was, save for the very people we were coming to meet with.

"Helen! You're here!" the augur, Aurelia Clark, exclaimed excitedly, uncannily pinpointing where Eleni was standing as she hurried over and grabbed her hands. "I thought you'd never make it!"

Eleni's eyes widened, and she pulled her hands away, taking a step back. "Wh-What? My name… is _not_ Helen."

"Huh?" Aurelia looked up at her, confusion in her milky gold eyes. "Of _course_ you're Helen. The birds told me you were coming! But…" She turned her head, glowering in my general direction. " _Paris_ was supposed to bring you here, not _him_."

…Uh… I wasn't sure how I felt about that statement. It was true I had been chosen for this quest over my brother, but Eleni had good reason _not_ to pick him. He all but directly accused her of having something to do with the murders. She knew Ray and me better, so of course she would want us to go with her.

"I'm _not_ Helen," Eleni snapped, bristling. "My name may be the Greek version of that, but I'm _not_ her. Don't call me that."

Aurelia's eyes widened, like she was taken by surprise. But I was more surprised by what she said.

"Wait, your name's the Greek form of Helen?" I asked incredulously. "Gods, will this ever _end?_ "

"It probably could be a lot worse," Aeneas said with a wince. "There could be a _Patroclus_. That'd be a horrible name to have. What would the poor guy go by? Pat? Sounds like a girl's name."

"That reminds me of how my dad told me he almost named me Patrick," Ray muttered. "Instead, it's my middle name."

"Still better than Patroclus," Aeneas insisted, shaking his head.

"Can we… _not_ talk about him?" I asked with a wince.

They had to realize how awkward this was for me. I was named _Achilles_ , and well… everyone was familiar with Achilles and Patroclus in the Iliad. The book never actually said that the two were lovers, but many scholars seemed to believe they were. And a bunch of literature was made just about that. I knew that being bisexual myself did not help matters. Nor did having a boyfriend. Though the whole Patroclus being way older than Achilles also made it really awkward to hear about. Gods. I swear they were doing this just to make me uncomfortable.

Aurelia was still here, and glared. "You joke about it now, but soon you'll be crying."

The way she said that… made chills run down my spine. She… knew, didn't she? She was their augur, but… our prophecy came from the Oracle. Yet, somehow, she knew one of us was going to die. That was… unsettling.

"…Right," Aeneas said slowly, looking taken aback himself. "Let's go meet with Claudia and Hector now. We shouldn't keep them waiting any longer."

Ray nodded. "Lead the way, Aeneas."

We followed him over to where the two praetors were standing, talking to each other while we had been distracted by Aurelia. They stopped their discussion and looked over at us as we joined them.

"Sorry for the wait, but here we are," Aeneas said, smiling sheepishly. "Aurelia is… quite vocal about this prophecy about Troy."

The girl huffed, walking over to stand beside Hector. "I'm just stating the truth! You shouldn't complain, Aeneas. The return of Troy means good things for you, too."

"You _do_ realize who you're saying this in front of, right?" Ray asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

Aurelia puffed out her cheeks. "You don't scare me! The first Achilles died, and so will the second-"

"Aurelia, that's enough," Hector reprimanded, cutting her off. "You are behaving inappropriately towards our guests."

"You are dismissed, Aurelia," Claudia stated coolly.

Thankfully, she said nothing else. She just nodded, and walked right to the door. She really must have the camp memorized. It was easy to forget she was blind sometimes. Once the door clicked shut behind her, the two praetors seemed to relax.

Claudia let out a heavy sigh. "I am so sorry about that, Lee."

Her apology did not help _me_ relax, however; it was kind of hard for me to while in the presence of my older half-brother. "It's fine, Claudia. No harm done."

"I see you are doing well," Hector stated. "How is Paris?"

I forced myself to look up at him, even though I really didn't want to. Pretending everything was fine with Hector was easy sometimes, but today was not one of those times. With everything that was happening, it wasn't so simple anymore.

Hector Leroy was nineteen years old, but probably could pass for being in his early twenties. He was tall, towering above me, and even taller than our brother. Most of his dirty blond hair was shaved off in a buzz cut, his skin was tanned, and he had the same electric blue eyes as the rest of us. But Hector wasn't just tall—he was wide too. Broad shouldered, with muscles that nobody else in either camp could compete with. Simply put, he was _ripped_. It was even obvious when he was wearing his armor and purple praetor cape, like today. Hector was intimidating, and just being near him put me on edge.

"He was fine the last time I saw him," I answered. "But thanks."

"And you must be Eleni Spiros," Claudia said, her gaze drifting to the daughter of Hades. "I am Claudia Guerrero, and this is my fellow praetor, Hector Leroy."

Eleni shifted nervously, her hands clenching the hem of her shirt. "Y-Yes, that's me. It's, um, nice to meet you."

"And you carry Katoptris…" Hector said slowly, glancing down at the sheath tied around her waist. "Just like Aurelia predicted."

"That means nothing, Hector," Claudia interceded quickly. "Piper McLean also carried the blade."

And that was all I needed to hear to know that Hector believed what the augur was spouting. It made sense. After all, Paris was the one who contacted Camp Jupiter about our quest, so they could help us. He must have told Hector something. Maybe I was just being paranoid after spending years of being in their shadow, competing with them, but… I had a gut feeling that they were planning something. And that something would not be good.

"What is this prophecy Aurelia is talking about?" I asked, really not wanting to discuss the coincidence that Eleni chose Katoptris. "About Troy?"

Claudia grimaced. "She has given us nothing specific. The birds she receives her prophecies from give her bits and pieces all the time. But she is claiming that Troy will rise again, under the reign of a powerful king and his beloved queen."

"Prophecies are not to be taken lightly, Claudia," Hector stated evenly. "Neither are names."

Ugh… not the name shit again.

"I am well aware, Hector," she retorted. "But we shouldn't frighten younger campers with this, much less a camper who has only recently found out she's a demigod."

"Are you trying to avoid talking about it, or is that really all you know?" Ray inquired suspiciously.

"It truly is all we know," Hector replied, unbothered. "But it is most likely a prophecy that only has to do with Camp Jupiter, so I wouldn't concern yourselves."

"It's Camp Jupiter's prophecy because Rome is descended from Troy…" Eleni said slowly and hesitantly. "But Camp Half-Blood is Greek. We're Greeks. What if we become involved because somebody triggers another Trojan War? That's what Aurelia seemed to be implying."

Aeneas grimaced. "Well, hopefully it doesn't come to that. Our camps are allies. We're not Trojans any more than you're Achaeans."

While that was true… it wasn't very reassuring. The names could not just be coincidences. Fate was being tempted, no matter what Ray wanted to believe. Whatever was coming… whatever would cause my or Ray's death when we returned to Camp Half-Blood… It wasn't going to be pretty. I think… I was finally coming to terms with it. As long as Ray and Eleni lived, if I had to die, I knew my death would not be in vain. It was almost… my destiny.

"I-I guess so…" Eleni muttered not very convincingly.

"We shouldn't keep you any longer," Hector said. "You still have a long journey to Los Angeles ahead of you."

"Right," I sighed. "Well, we'll see you at the get together."

Claudia smiled and nodded. "Yes, we will. Be careful. We need you all back alive to have a good game of Capture the Flag."

If only she knew that one of us wasn't going to make it…

* * *

After leaving the premises of Camp Jupiter, Misty came back to us, wagging her tail and barking happily. Sadly, her barking was _still_ loud enough to bust our ear drums, no matter how happy she sounded. Once Eleni managed to calm her down, we got ready to shadow travel. I wasn't sure how far south we went before both demigod and hellhound were too exhausted to continue. The searing heat probably wasn't helping either. We decided to just stop where we were and make camp.

"Are you sure there isn't _something_ I can help with?" Eleni asked fretfully, wringing one of her hands on the bottom of her shirt, while the other held a water bottle.

"Yeah, we're sure," Ray said as we finished arranging the last fallen log we managed to drag over to surround the wood we'd be using for a fire tonight. "Just keep on drinking water, or you're going to get dehydrated."

"Ugh… at least there's a stream nearby to refill our bottles in," I said, standing up straight and wiping sweat off my forehead, messing up my bangs that were plastered to my face. "Otherwise I'd be worried we'd _all_ get dehydrated."

"Tell we about it," Ray muttered. "Gods, it's days like these when I feel bad for girls. You've got that long hair and have to wear more clothes than guys do."

It took me a moment to figure out what he meant, and I felt my face heat up. "R-Ray, of all things to talk about…"

"What?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "I have a little sister, y'know. Who do you think she came crying to about that shit? _'Raaaaay I think I'm getting boobs, make it stop!'_ Okay maybe she didn't actually say that, but you get the gist. That's why I asked you to see if your mom would mind taking her shopping for clothes last year."

"Oh my gods." I pressed a hand over my eyes. "I did not need to hear that about Olivia."

"Um… it's not that bad…" Eleni said, drawing our attention back to her. "I can just put my hair up, like I have it now."

That was true; she had piled her hair up on top of her head in a messy bun. It just seemed like such an extra hassle. Wait… didn't that mean… Eleni was a girl? Okay, I knew she was a girl, but a _girl_ , with…

I gave Ray a dirty look. "I hate you."

Ray smirked playfully and winked. "I would totally say what I want to right now, but Eleni doesn't need to hear that."

I felt my face getting redder. "You're in an awfully cheerful mood, Ray… with how serious you've been lately."

Ray's smirk immediately faltered, and he turned away. "You just _had_ to ruin the mood, didn't you?"

"What?" I asked defensively. "I did _not_. It was just the truth. You're just—ugh, forget it."

I really did not feel like dealing with whatever had changed inside of Ray right now. So I walked over to the log that Eleni was sitting on, and sat down next to her, which was across the campsite from where Ray decided to sit. She took another sip from the water bottle, watching me carefully, but didn't say anything. I decided to pull out my own water bottle for a drink. It was freaking hot out. Misty was stretched out behind this long, in all her hellhound glory. She must even be feeling it.

"…I'm sorry for bringing you on this quest."

"Huh?" I looked at Eleni in surprise. "Why are you apologizing?"

She bit her bottom lip, looking down at her hands. "If I never asked you to come with me, neither of you would have to die, and you'd still be happy and being cute together and… gods, this is all my fault."

I… guess I had been too wrapped up in my personal drama to remember that this was _her_ quest, and it had to be affecting her just as much as us, if not more.

"Eleni…" I wanted to say something reassuring, but unlike last night… I was at a loss.

She reached up to wipe tears away from her eyes before they could fall. "I-I'm sorry I'm such a mess… I'm going to sit with Misty."

Not saying another word, she stood up and walked over to where the hellhound was sprawled out. Misty's head perked up, her red eyes landing on her mistress. Eleni looked so tiny next to her as she sat down beside the monster. Misty let out a whine before shifting her massive body so she was curled around Eleni. Watching the two of them… seeing my friend looking so morose… made me feel like I had failed as a friend. This damned quest really was taking a lot out of us.

Sighing heavily, I turned back around so I was facing the future fire. Soon, we'd be in the Underworld. I was apprehensive about meeting Hades. I hoped he wouldn't try to kill me. But then it would be time to go home. It was hard, grasping the fact that our quest was almost done.

In a matter of days… it would be over.


	10. Even Gods Have Custody Battles

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 10: EVEN GODS HAVE CUSTODY BATTLES**

* * *

 **ELENI**

* * *

"W-Who are you? What's going on? Where are Mama and Papa?"

My brother kept on blurting out questions to the lawyer who had come to see us in our home in Washington, D.C. We were sitting on the couch in the living room, while the lawyer lady sat in a chair across from us. She was kind of scary, wearing her dull brown hair up in a perfect, tight bun, with beady black eyes behind huge glasses, and a scrunched up nose. She had told us her name, but it had slipped my mind as soon as she said it. Both of our parents had been gone for a day now, after we returned from vacation, but I couldn't remember why for the life of me.

"I'm afraid I have bad news, children," the lawyer told us grimly in a nasal voice. "But your parents are dead."

"Wh-What?" My voice cracked as my eyes widened in horror. "Mama… and Papa… are dead? They're… not coming home?"

"That's correct."

My brother's bottom lip started to quiver as he stared at her. I felt him grab my hand, clenching it tight. But I didn't move. I _couldn't_ move. Mama and Papa… We would never see them again. My little brother and I… were all alone now… I could barely understand what was happening. But I could imagine that he was on the verge of tears, if he wasn't already crying. He was only eight.

"What's… what's going to happen to us?"

The lawyer pushed her glasses up her nose. "Your parents have left behind a trust fund. Their wishes, if anything were to happen to them, were that you would attend a boarding school, where you'll be taken care of."

A boarding school…? I guess… I guess that wouldn't be so terrible… We would be safe, right? As long as my little brother was safe and happy, I could be happy… I worried about him so much. I was oldest, so I had to take care of him… I had to protect him.

"I… I don't wanna go!" My brother burst into tears, throwing his arms around me. "Bianca, please, don't let her make us go! I don't wanna go anywhere… without Mama and Papa…"

He couldn't say anything else, because he was crying too hard. Tears were filling my eyes now, and I hugged him back, not knowing what else to do. This was home… but our parents had always been here… Papa was gone for days on end because of work, but Mama was always around to take care of us… It had been that way since we moved here from Venice.

I just knew… I couldn't let anything happen to Nico. We had to stick together.

* * *

 _Monday, July 4th, 2033._

* * *

I startled awake, finding myself laying in my sleeping bag near the campfire, which was just cinders now. Gods… that had just been a dream. A really weird dream… It felt so real… like a memory. But I couldn't remember the names… I felt like I should know them, but they escaped my mind as soon as I woke up. Sighing, I looked up at the morning sky, brushing my bangs to the side. At least it hadn't been one of those weird nightmares… I'd been having way too many of those.

I slid out of my sleeping bag as quietly as possible, since the boys were still sleeping. My movement did wake up Misty, though. The hellhound looked up from where she had been laying next to me. I put a finger to my lips, signaling for her to stay quiet. I grabbed my bag, and then Katoptris, tying the sheath around my waist before making my way towards the stream we had camped nearby. Misty followed after me.

After looking around to make sure there were no monsters in sight, I sat down by the stream and opened my messenger bag. I took out my hairbrush and set it on my leg before carefully undoing my bun. It left my hair in a snarled mess, like usual. Sighing, I dipped my hairbrush in the stream, shook off some of the excess water, and began to slowly and gently brush out my hair. Gods, this was going to take a while, but if I was going to see my dad, I needed to look my best.

My dad… The man I knew my entire life as my father… who was actually _Hades_ … the Lord of the Underworld… one of the most powerful gods. Suddenly, he was a lot more intimidating. Could I even do this? Would our relationship ever be the same? Probably not…

"I was wondering where you went to."

I nearly jumped in surprise, looking up to see than it was only Ray. He plopped himself down next to me, crossing his legs pretzel style. I was caught off guard, and didn't say anything. Ray had never really actively talked to me without Lee around, so I wasn't sure what to do.

"What a beautiful morning to visit the Underworld, huh?" he snorted, turning to look at me. "Gods, I can't believe we're almost done."

"Me either…" I lifted my brush to resume untangling my hair. "I don't know if I even want to go back…"

Ray was quiet for a moment, his stormy gray gaze now turning on the stream, watching the crystal clear waters flow over the rocky streambed. "We have to, Eleni. Once we talk to Hades, we have to tell Chiron what's up."

I bit my bottom lip. "Couldn't we just… I don't know… Iris message him?"

"I don't really believe in Fate and all that… but I don't think it's a good idea to go against a prophecy," Ray said quietly. "We need to go back… even if it means one of us dies."

"I… I guess you're right…" I carefully pulled my brush through the last of the tangles in my hair. "I just… don't want either of you to die…"

"Pretty sure neither of us want to die either," he muttered. "I've been hard on Lee, but… I can't help it. I don't want him to be… unprepared if I'm the one who dies."

I stayed quiet, running my brush through my hair one last time before putting it up into a high ponytail, to keep it out of the way.

"Ray, can I… ask a question?" I inquired slowly, looking over at him.

He nodded. "Yeah, sure. What's up?"

"How did you and Lee meet?"

His eyes widened slightly, like he hadn't expected that. "Oh, well… it was years ago, when my sister and I first came to camp."

"I'd like to hear about it," I said, putting my hairbrush back into my bag.

"All right, all right," he laughed, leaning back a little, his cheeks darkening faintly. "Well, it was… about eight years ago. I was eight, and Olivia was five. Our dad… He was a veteran and a college professor who taught ancient world history. He… was killed by monsters that came after us. It was… pretty bad. I still have nightmares about it, honestly…"

My eyes widened. "I'm…. I'm so sorry… I had no idea…"

"It doesn't really bother me anymore," he said. "Just the… nightmares. Olivia doesn't remember much from back then, which makes me happy. She doesn't need the pain."

I bit my bottom lip. "That doesn't make it any less horrible…"

Ray gave a shrug. "A satyr found us and took us to Camp Half-Blood. He took us straight to Chiron, who was in the middle of talking to Lee and Paris. And that's when we met. Nothing really special. We were best friends before anything else. Lee made us welcome. He helped me take care of Olivia. It was hard, but… without him, I don't think my sister or I would've made it this far."

It must have been nice, to have a friend like that. For as long as I could remember, I'd been alone. No one wanted to befriend me. I was glad that Lee and Ray had each other. I knew what it was like… having nobody. I had friends now, though, which made me happy… even if I was going to lose one of them. But the part that hurt… was that they weren't just friends anymore. They were boyfriends. And I was alone, stuck with my feelings. And it was my fault that they would soon be separated forever.

I was used to being unhappy. I could deal with that. But I couldn't deal with my friends being broken.

"Hey, Eleni…" Ray looked over at me again. "Can _I_ ask you something?"

"H-Huh?" I was jolted out of my thoughts, my face burning on reflex because of what I had been thinking about. "S-Sure…"

"Promise me, just in case I'm the one who dies…" He looked down at the stream. "Promise me you'll look out for Lee."

My heart ached. I didn't want Ray to die. I may have had the fleeting thought earlier, which I was so ashamed of, but he was my friend, too. Without him, we probably would have been killed by monsters days ago. He had gotten us through this quest with his wisdom. I admired him for being able to keep a cool head in tight situations. He had been clashing with Lee lately, but… we _all_ were stressed.

"He needs someone to watch out for him," Ray said quietly. "We haven't been apart since we first met. I don't know how he'd handle it… if something happened to me. And that worries me."

I looked down at my hands, unable to speak yet. This made me think of how I made Lee promise me that he wouldn't die. This made me think of the original Achilles, and Patroclus. This made me think of how the Roman augur said Troy would be reborn. It all gave me a sense of doom. Someone was going to die… and I think I knew who it would be.

"…I promise, Ray."

* * *

Misty and I shadow traveled us to Los Angeles once we all had woken up and eaten breakfast. After taking a brief break from that, we got some lunch, because I was starving from all that work. It wasn't as bad as it had been at first, so I guessed I was finally getting a hang of shadow traveling. But now… we were standing across the street from our destination—DOA Recording Studios.

"…The front for the entrance to the Underworld," I said slowly, "is a _recording studio_?"

"Yep," Ray answered, shoving his hands into his pockets. "It seems pretty empty to me, though."

"To you," I muttered. "I'm seeing spirits going into the place."

It was true. The washed out, transparent figures of the dead were walking down the sidewalk on that side, and going right through the door, where they vanished. That was enough to give me chills.

"So, uh," Lee began awkwardly, "what's the plan? Are we gonna pretend we died or something?"

"I don't think that will be necessary," Ray said dryly. "We have Eleni with us. The daughter of the Lord of the Dead. I think that should be enough to grant us passage. That, and drachmas."

I sighed. "Okay, let's just get this over with."

We checked to make sure no cars were coming, and then quickly crossed the street. It'd do us no good if one of us actually died on the way to visiting DOA Recording Studios. I wondered how regular mortals even saw past it being called DOA— _dead on arrival_. Either humans are stupid, or the Mist is just that good at its job. Considering that I had no idea that my mom was a sorceress or that my dog was a hellhound, it was probably the latter.

Speaking of hellhounds, Misty barked happily as we stepped through the doors, making me realize she probably knew where we were going now. But the barking also drew the attention of everyone in the room to us. By the way Lee's and Ray's eyes widened, I was guessing they could see the ghosts in here. So many people were packed into this room, milling about aimlessly, looking miserable. Most of them were children. I got a strong sense of déjà vu…

The lobby was sort of dismal, with steel gray walls and carpeting. Muzak music played in the background, which grated with the heavy atmosphere of the place. Being stuck here listening to elevator music for the rest of eternity could probably be considered a sentence fit for the Fields of Punishment. Most of the ghosts were standing about, but some were sitting on black leather couches and chairs. There was even a glass coffee table covered with magazines. The door said, _NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING._ Sorrowful eyes followed us as I led the way up to the raised podium, where a man I assumed was Charon stood.

I wasn't sure what I expected of Charon, but this wasn't it. He was tall and elegant, perhaps even handsome, with dark skin and bleached blond hair shaved in a buzz cut. He wore tortoiseshell sunglasses, and a silk Italian suit that was the same shade of pale yellow as his hair. A black rose was pinned to his lapel, under a silver name tag that read, well, _Hello, my name is Charon_.

"Excuse me," I began. "We need to get to the Underworld."

Charon turned towards us, staring for what felt like an eternity, until he pulled off his sunglasses, revealing eyes that were black holes of nothingness, radiating death and despair that was enough to cause chills to run down my spine, despite the familiarity. Lee fidgeted nervously beside me, while Ray seemed surprisingly calm.

"You wish to see your father?" Charon inquired, his voice surprisingly sounding British, but like he had learned English as a second language, the words not coming out as smoothly.

"Um, yes," I said. "My friends are to come with me as well."

Charon's empty sockets seemed to move to look at my two companions, before returning their dark gaze to me. "If it were just you, the daughter of the Lord of the Dead, I would give you free passage. But your… guests must pay. These suits do not buy themselves."

…Wait, what? He bought Italian suits? Gods, why was everything so weird?

"Will this be enough?" Ray had pulled out a pouch, and when Charon held out his hand, he dumped all the golden drachmas onto his palm. There were at least a dozen coins, maybe more.

Charon carefully wrapped his fingers around the drachmas. "Indeed it is." He stepped down from the podium. "Please, follow me."

He led us to the elevator, and pressed the button. The doors opened immediately, and he stepped inside. I followed, and the boys and my hellhound were right behind me. I could feel their tension; they were more apprehensive about this than I was. I could understand Lee's misgivings. He was, after all, the son of Zeus. But the Underworld was meant for the dead, so that was probably what made Ray uncomfortable.

The elevator doors opened, and Charon stepped out. We hastily followed him. My déjà vu got even stronger, as I found myself standing before the River Styx, all of the Underworld stretching out before us. It was a vast cavern, stretching out as far as I could see, and then even further. My eyes widened as I took it all in, and I realized my heart was pounding. This… was the land of the dead. This was where my father ruled. It was all real, and not just my imagination. My dad was one of most powerful gods in the world… After days of knowing this, it finally felt real.

I recognized all the areas from the stories my mom told me. There was the judgement pavilion, where judges like King Rhadamanthus, King Aeacus, and King Minos would decide where spirits would go to spend the rest of eternity. The Fields of Punishment were easy to recognize, with miles and miles of barbed wire separating torture areas. I didn't bother looking at that place too long; I didn't want to see how the evil people were being punished. The Fields of Asphodel were vast, filled with too many souls to count, wandering aimlessly, looking lost and forlorn. That made my heart ache. Those poor people… And then… there was Elysium. Even from here, it looked like paradise, behind golden gates. The Isles of the Blest had to in there somewhere. It was the happiest looking place here.

"Come," Charon said, gesturing to his boat. "Lord Hades should not be kept waiting."

I quickly climbed into the boat, followed by Lee and Ray. Misty leaped up last. Once we were all inside, Charon lifted one single oar, and began to row deeper into the river. It was then that I finally noticed the water.

"The River Styx," Lee muttered. "Where Achilles bathed to become invulnerable. That must have been… pleasant."

The waters of the River Styx were dark as obsidian, lapping at the edges of the boat but not creating any foam. And it was polluted terribly, the worst I had ever seen in my life. It was filled with broken toys, ripped up diplomas, bits and pieces of what used to be weapons, broken bicycles, and so on. I was taken aback by this, and looked up at our ferryman in confusion.

"What is this?" I asked.

Charon looked back at me, and I realized his attire had changed; he was now wearing a black hooded robe, and his image flickered with that of a skeleton. "For thousands of years, humans have been throwing in everything as you come across—hopes, dreams, wishes that never came true. Irresponsible waste management, if you ask me."

Hopes, dreams, and wishes… that never came true. For some reason, my thoughts drifted to the Hades figurine tucked safely away in my bag. I wondered… if I died, would that be something I would throw away? I looked down at the waters again, just in time to see us pass by a doll—matted brown hair, with a broken neck, missing its right arm. A little girl's toy, no doubt. It looked like it could've been from the 40s. Maybe it belonged to a victim of the Holocaust…

Gods, I needed to stop this. I turned away from the boat's edge, scooting over so I was sitting closer to my friends.

"I… didn't expect this," I sighed. "I knew the Underworld wasn't going to be rainbows and sunshine, but…"

"I don't think anyone expects this, Eleni," Lee sighed softly.

With silence falling among us, I wasn't sure how long we rode in the boat with Charon, but finally, we came to a dock. Charon carefully navigated the ferry to the dock, bringing it to a halt.

"We are here," he said. "Also… tell Lord Hades I'm still waiting for that pay raise."

Gods… that was so weird hearing from an immortal's mouth. But I nodded, acknowledging his request, and we all climbed out of the boat. As soon as Misty's paws hit the ground, she started panting happily and wagging her tail, in her full hellhound glory, not changed by the Mist. Her joy made me feel a bit better. At least she was happy about this.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Lee asked as Charon left with the boat. "We have to get to Hades's palace."

"I'm working on it," Ray said. "We're going to have to sneak by Cerberus. But maybe Misty can distract him."

I bit my bottom lip, looking up at my hellhound. "Is that safe for her?"

Ray gave a shrug. "How am I supposed to know? I've never met Cerberus before."

"Let's just go for it," Lee said. "I don't think Cerberus would hurt a hellhound."

"Okay…" I sighed, reaching up to give her one last scratch… just in case. "Let's go."

* * *

Long story short, thanks to Misty playing with Cerberus, we managed to slip past the hellhound and make it further into the Underworld. I hated having to leave her behind, but it had to be done. But eventually… we made it to Persephone's garden.

"Whatever you do," Ray said as we entered the garden, "don't eat the pomegranates."

The garden was… strange. It was filled with rainbow-colored mushrooms, poisonous looking scrubs, and luminous plants that seemed to be growing without sunlight. There were clumps of precious jewels scattered about—raw diamonds, rubies, sapphires, you name it. But the creepiest part of the garden had to be the stone statues—statues of children, satyrs, and centaurs, all standing and smiling grotesquely. It was unsettling enough for me to edge closer to Lee.

Gods, that was one way to ward off visitors.

We passed through the center of the garden, which was an orchard of pomegranate trees. Their orange blossoms gleamed bright, like neon light, and my nose was filled with an overwhelmingly sweet, tart aroma from the fruit. It smelled so good, my stomach let out a growl. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment as my friends looked at me. It wasn't my fault that pomegranates were my favorite fruit.

But finally… we reached the palace.

It was _enormous_ , looming above us menacingly. It was made of obsidian that glittered in the darkness, with a black marble portico. It obviously was built in a Hellenistic style, which made sense. We all paused, exchanging one last look, before I once again took the lead, heading inside. We stepped into a hall with polished bronze floors, reflecting light from the torches lit with green fire that lined the walls. And there were… _dead_ everywhere. They were obviously not ghosts, but the equivalent of zombies—zombies of Greek warriors, Roman legionnaires, U.S. revolutionary soldiers, British redcoats, Confederate soldiers, and even modern U.S. soldiers. Their emotionless eyes followed us everywhere as we quickly walked down the hall.

I had no idea how I managed it, but I led us to the throne room. Hellhounds guarded the door, letting out low growls as they heard us approaching, but stopping once I walked through the door. They gave Lee and Ray one more warning growl before sitting down, watching our every movement with blood red eyes. And that was when I saw my dad… sitting on his onyx throne that was decorated with a variety of skulls, surrounded by more dead soldiers and hellhounds. There was another throne, one made of beautiful flowers, that I figured belonged to Persephone. It was vacant, as she was above ground this time of year.

Despite my nerves, I stepped forward, walking up to the throne. "Hi… Dad."

Hades looked more like the man I grew up knowing as my dad more than I expected. He was very tall, which was obvious even though he was sitting down, and muscular, with skin so pale he looked albino. His hair was black as night, and fell to his shoulders, bangs sweeping across his forehead in a way that vaguely resembled an emo's. We shared the same eyes—black, but his gleamed like a genius's or a madman's. I couldn't tell which. He was wearing flowing black robes that had terrifyingly contorted, tortured looking faces sewn into the cloth. I noticed he was wearing an opal wedding ring, along with a silver ring that I recognized as the ring my mom gave him years ago.

"Eleni." His voice sounded oilier than I remembered. "I did not expect you to come all the way down here… much less with _companions_."

His dark eyes darted to my friends, who were standing beside me. Lee gulped, looking incredibly nervous, his hands clasped together behind his back. Ray, on the other hand, appeared perfectly calm and unperturbed by Hades's comment.

"Um, yes," I said, wincing. "They're my friends—Achilles Dalca and Raymond Wise. We're… on a quest. We need your help, Dad."

"I know who they are," he stated, sitting up straight. "What is this assistance you seek, child?"

"If I may speak, sir," Ray interceded quickly, and continued when my dad nodded, "there have been murders happening at both Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. The victims show no signs of the cause of death. They just… die. We wanted to ask you if you know anything about this, being the Lord of the Dead and all."

Hades frowned, narrowing his eyes. "I was unaware of such deaths. This is the first I've heard of it. I'm afraid I have nothing to tell you."

I sighed. "W-Well, it was worth a shot… I almost got killed by whatever is doing this…"

That caught his attention. "Do you remember anything?"

I nodded. "Yeah… I was being swallowed up by darkness. I only survived because my friend Cassie woke me up."

Hades remained silent, most likely processing this information. "I may not be able to give you information… but I can still aid you." He rose from the throne, and the dead guards moved out of the way. "Come with me, Eleni."

I was caught off guard, but had no choice but to hurry after him as he started walking away. I glanced behind me to try to give my friends reassuring looks about leaving them alone in Hades's palace, but there was no time to see if it worked. He led me down a hallway, which took us to an armory. The room was filled with weapons of all kinds, all made of a mysterious black metal that gleamed dark violet. I looked around in awe as Hades stopped in front of a table. Looking down, I saw him pick up a ring made of that same black metal. Then he took my hand, and slipped it on my ring finger.

"This was meant to be your birthday present," he said, his voice taking that almost gentle tone I was familiar with. "This ring is named Goetia. It can turn into a sword made of Stygian iron, when you press on the skull. It will serve as a much better weapon than that kitchen knife you're carrying. Stygian iron is different from celestial bronze. It absorbs the essence of monsters, preventing them from ever reforming. It can also harm mortals and ghosts, and can channel the power of the Underworld. And no matter what happens to it, the ring will always return to your finger."

Well, damn… I looked down at the ring, which did have a silver skull on it. Curious to see what my sword looked like, I slipped it off and pressed down on the skull. Immediately, it transformed into a three foot long xiphos, with a double-edged blade that gleamed like obsidian, radiating with a faint violet light. A skull was carved into the base of the blade, right above the guard, and the grip was wrapped with black leather. It felt light in my hand, a perfect balance. I imagined that it could appear frightening to some, but I thought it looked awesome.

"…Do you like it?"

I looked up at him and smiled. "I love it! Thank you, Dad!"

Relief seemed to flood Hades, but he regained his composure quickly. It didn't last, though, because as soon as I returned Goetia to a ring and slipped the ring back on my finger, I threw my arms around him in a big hug. Hades froze, like he hadn't expected it, even though I used to hug him all the time. But that was before I knew he was a god. Here I was, hugging a _god_.

"I've missed you, Dad," I said quietly, releasing him and stepping back. "And Mom. Is she okay? I hated having to leave her like that…"

"She is safe," he answered after a moment, collecting himself again. "I've stationed guards to keep an eye on her and the baby. I wished for her to return here with me, but she would have none of that. But Zeus would be a fool to try to attack her now. He already made the mistake of trying to kill you."

I winced, hearing the dangerous edge in his voice. "I'm sorry about that…"

"It's not your fault." He shook his head. "Zeus's spawn was useful enough to save you, and you trusted him enough to bring him here. Same goes for Athena's boy. Not that I have any issues with him."

Well… Athena didn't backstab Hades. Zeus did.

"They're my friends," I said. "Cassie Harper, a daughter of Apollo, is another friend I made at camp. And I met a couple of Romans who seem nice. I wouldn't mind it at camp, I think, if campers weren't dying."

His image seemed to flicker at the mention of Romans, but it only lasted a second. "People have not always been kind to us, Eleni. I'm sure you are aware of this, from your own childhood. I am glad you've… made some… friends. But you are always welcome here. In fact, I will have a room put together for you, just in case you change your mind and wish to stay."

So I… had another option. If I didn't want to live at Camp Half-Blood, or join the Hunters of Artemis… I could come here and live with my dad. I doubted Mom would be too happy about that, but I could go live with her during the fall and winter to go to school. And I could still visit my friends at camp. It really wasn't that bad of an idea… and I wouldn't have to swear off boys, either.

…Not that I had a chance with anyone. I might as well get a cat to prepare for becoming a crazy cat lady. Even though I was more of a dog person.

"I'll think about it, Dad," I said, forcing a smile. "I'd have to talk to Mom about it, too. But first, I need to report this quest, and solve those murders. They need my help."

Hades nodded. "Now that you have your gift, we should return. I will show you a quicker route to Manhattan, through the Doors of Orpheus. That way you can visit as much as you like."

"All right," I said. "Thank you again for the gift, Dad."

I had been so worried about seeing him again, now that I knew who he really was, but… my dad was still my dad. Yeah, he was the god Hades, but he was still my dad. Nothing had changed. I was just… aware now. I hoped that meant nothing else would change. And as we walked back to the throne room, a thought leaped into my mind.

"Hey, Dad?"

"Yes, Eleni?"

"When… one of my friends comes here soon… be easy on him, please?"


	11. All Is Fair In Love and War

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 11: ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR**

* * *

 **ELENI**

* * *

 _Monday, July 4th, 2033._

* * *

As much as the Underworld was warming up to me, I was relieved to see the clear blue sky as soon as we stepped through the Doors of Orpheus. Misty, once again a black German shepherd because of the Mist, bounded ahead, letting out excited barks. I really hoped no one was around to hear her. We were in _Central Park_. And I was pretty sure it _wasn't_ the time dogs were allowed off leash.

"Gods, I never thought I'd be so happy to see the sky," Lee muttered.

"I don't know, seeing grass is pretty refreshing," Ray said dryly.

That earned him an eye roll. I called Misty back to me, and thankfully she obeyed, coming back over to sit by my feet. I dug into my pack to find her leash and hooked it onto her collar. There, that made me feel better. I didn't want to get arrested or anything.

"Before we go any further…" Ray began slowly, drawing our attention to him. "There's something I want to say."

Lee frowned. "What is it, Ray?"

The son of Athena sighed heavily, closing his eyes. "Lee… I'm breaking up with you."

Lee's lightning blue eyes widened, the color draining from his face. "Wh-What?"

I felt like I was having the same reaction, and I wasn't the one being dumped. I looked from Lee, to Ray, to Lee again, feeling shocked and confused and a bunch of other emotions all jumbled up together. This… This wasn't supposed to happen! They were supposed to be happy together, to the very end! Unless… Unless I had been completely blind to something that should've been right in my face.

"One of us is going to die when we return to camp," Ray stated, very matter-of-fact. "There's no point in us staying together."

Lee stiffened, his expression darkening. "You think that will make it _easier?_ Is _that_ what this is about?"

"No," Ray retorted bluntly. "I'm more concerned about after all of this. I _know_ you, Lee. If I'm the one who dies… I know exactly how you're going to react. If we're together before this… you're going to be stuck in the past. You won't be able to move on. I want you to be happy."

Lee scowled. "I'm happy with _you!_ Gods, this doesn't even make any _sense_ , Ray!"

"I want to protect you," Ray said, his tone turning quiet.

"Protect me my _ass_ ," Lee snapped, furious. "You've been planning this for a while, haven't you?"

"What?" Ray raised an eyebrow. "Whatever gave you _that_ idea?"

"Just… Just _forget_ it!" Lee whipped around, turning his back to us. "I'm going to see my mom one last time before returning to camp. I'll see you there."

Without waiting for a response, Lee stormed away, leaving me standing there, stunned, with Ray and Misty. The hellhound let out a worried whine, lowering herself down onto the grassy ground. I looked over at Ray, wanting to say something, but not knowing _what_.

"…I'm sorry you had to see that," Ray sighed. "I just… felt that, if we were together, and I died, he… Lee wouldn't be able to move on. _Ever_. And we all know what the loss of Patroclus did to Achilles."

"I thought you didn't believe in Fate," I said quietly.

Ray shrugged indifferently. "I don't. I just want Lee to be happy. My sister, too. That's all I care about right now." He sighed heavily, looking down at the ground. "Speaking of Olivia, I should go see her." He glanced over at me. "You coming, or do you want to see your mom, too?"

I hesitated. The prophecy said that someone would die protecting me. The longer I stayed away from Camp Half-Blood, the longer both of my friends would live. Ray deserved some time with Olivia, if he was the one who would die. And besides… after everything… I really could use a hug from my mom. I missed her so much. That made the decision easy.

"I'm going to see my mom first," I told him. "Go on ahead without me."

He nodded. "All right. Try to stay out of trouble, okay?"

With that, he headed off, leaving Misty and me alone in the park. I just stood there for a moment, my hellhound laying at my feet, leash in my hand. I couldn't help but feel responsible for this. It was my quest that would forever tear them apart… or maybe it was Fate, with all this name business. I couldn't help but think of how Aurelia called me Helen. There was no way in hell I was just going to accept _that_ role if it came true. But the women in the Iliad didn't have happiest lives—Helen, Briseis, Cassandra, Penthesilea… to name a few.

"Well, Misty…" I sighed. "Let's go home."

The disguised hellhound stood up, and barked in agreement. We made our way out of the park, and after some navigating, I found our townhouse. I quickly scaled the front steps, and knocked on the door. I really hoped she was home… I didn't have my key to let myself in, and it was just as smoldering out here in New York as it was in California.

Moments later, the door opened, revealing a very surprised Mom. "Eleni? What are you doing here?"

"Mom!" I exclaimed with relief, throwing my arms around her in a hug. "I've missed you so much…"

"Eleni…" She returned the embrace, pulling me inside and shutting the door behind us. "Dear, what's going on?"

I sighed, stepping away from her. "I just got back from a quest… to the Underworld… to see Dad."

Her dark eyes widened. "So you know… who he is."

I nodded. "Hades claimed me the same day I arrived at camp."

"Well, at least that got sorted out quickly…" Mom reached up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "How do you… feel about it?"

"Mom… You know Hades was always my favorite god," I said, managing to smile and laugh a little.

As a little girl, I always had loved the story of Hades and Persephone. The kidnapping part was a bit troubling, but it made me feel like, if Hades could find love, there had to be a boy out there for me somewhere. I could've mentioned that, but knowing that my mom was Hades's lover… that would just be awkward.

"That is very true," she laughed. "Well, dear, why don't you stay for a bit before returning to camp? Tell me about your quest. I'd love to hear about it."

So I did.

We sat down in the living room, and talked. I told her about the new friends I made—Lee, Ray, and Cassie. I mentioned the Romans—Aeneas, Vince, and Riley in particular. If my mom was concerned that I had met more boys than girls, she didn't show it. I told her all about Camp Half-Blood, and how it worked. I told her about Cabin Thirteen, Hades's cabin, and how it was nice to have it all to myself. I told her about how different Camp Jupiter was, and that I was _really_ glad I was a Greek demigod. I told her about Chiron, the satyrs, and the nymphs. She listened so intently, I didn't want to stop talking.

But when it came to the quest… I balked. And Mom noticed.

"Dear…" Mom frowned, her head tilting to the side. "You don't seem so eager to talk about your quest. I thought it would've been exciting."

I let out a nervous laugh. "I-It… wasn't as glorious as you probably expected. We just… had to go visit the Underworld to ask Dad if he knows anything about the murders going on at camp."

Her eyes widened. "Murders?! What's going on, Eleni?"

…Shit, I forgot to mention that earlier.

"U-Um, well…" I sighed and told her about what was happening at both camps.

"Oh, gods…" Mom pressed a hand to her forehead. "I shouldn't have sent you… You probably would've been safer in the Underworld."

"Dad did offer me a place there…" I said slowly.

"Of course he did," she sighed. "I still don't like the idea of my baby living in the land of the dead."

Well, it was either stay there in Hades's palace while living, or stay there in one of the places for the dead while dead.

"I still have to go back to camp, Mom," I said quietly. "I can't go there even if I wanted to. The prophecy said I had to return… and you can't avoid Fate."

"…That is true." She sighed again, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry you've been dragged into this mess… If I could whisk you away, I would."

"It's okay, Mom." I tried to smile reassuringly, but probably failed. "I can get through it… like everything else."

Mom smiled softly, closing her eyes. "It's only been a few days, and you've changed so much already."

"Huh? Really?"

She laughed, opening her eyes to look at me again. "Yes, really. I can see it. You've never talked this much at once, Eleni."

Okay, she had a point. Maybe… Maybe it was because I had finally found my place. My place, huh… For some reason, that made me think of that weird dream I had. Well, the most recent weird dream—the one that wasn't a nightmare.

"…Mom, is reincarnation real?" I asked after a moment.

Her eyes widened in surprise, caught off guard by the random question. "Yes… Yes, it is. Why do you ask?"

"Um, no particular reason," I lied. "I was just curious after visiting the Underworld, is all."

Just… that dream I had… It had been clearer than even the nightmares that plagued me. It had felt so familiar, like a memory. I was starting to think it was a memory from a past life or something. If only I could recall more about it, then maybe I could start piecing things together… But right now, that wasn't as important as solving the murders and stopping Erebos.

Mom didn't seem convinced, but she let it go. "Well, I shouldn't keep you for much longer. You should head back to camp, dear."

"O-Okay…" I sighed, standing up. "Mom… what will we do when summer ends?"

She pushed herself up from the couch. "That is something you'll have to discuss with Chiron. He understands the parameters more than I do."

I should have guessed as much… "Okay, well… I'll see you at the end of summer, Mom."

If I didn't die first.

* * *

When Misty and I returned to Camp Half-Blood, I didn't expect to see all of Camp Jupiter here. I knew the annual get together was almost here, but I didn't think they would arrive so soon! Misty trotted after me as I walked through the camp. A few campers welcomed me back, congratulating me on the successful quest. Finally, I spotted Chiron, and headed towards him.

"Chiron!" I called, hurrying up to the centaur. "I'm back!"

He turned towards me, as did the two campers he was speaking to, who I immediately recognized as Claudia and Hector. I faltered, my confidence slipping away at the sight of the two praetors, to the point where I almost tripped over my own feet. Staggering a bit, I quickly righted myself as I reached them, my massive hellhound at my heels.

"O-Oh, um, hello again," I said to them, feeling tiny and insignificant next to them.

Claudia gave a warm smile. "Hello, Eleni. I trust your excursion to the Underworld went well?"

I nodded. "Yes, um, but we didn't learn anything."

"Ray has told me as much," Chiron sighed. "It was worth a try, at the very least. I see your trip was not fruitless, however. Hades has bestowed a gift upon you."

"Oh, yeah!" I reached for my ring, slipping it off, and it turned into that beautiful Stygian iron sword. "Goetia is its name."

The dark blade gleamed in the dimming sunlight, and for some reason both of the praetors tensed—especially Hector. And I knew exactly why. I was the daughter of Hades, and he was a son of Jupiter. I might be friends with Lee, but I doubted I would ever be friends with Paris or Hector. He was threatened by my existence as much as he was threatened by Lee's and Maia's. I had originally wanted to like Hector after hearing Paris had an older brother, just like I had tried liking Paris, but after finding out what he had done to Lee… I just _couldn't_.

"It suits you well," Chiron chuckled. "But regardless, I am pleased that you've returned safely. I take it Lee is still visiting with his mother?"

"I'm guessing so," I answered, turning Goetia back into a ring and slipping it onto my finger. "I haven't seen him since we've separated."

"That's no surprise," Hector stated dryly, crossing his arms over his chest. "If he stays any longer, he'll miss the fireworks."

"Fireworks?" I echoed. "Wait… today's the fourth of July, isn't it?"

Claudia nodded. "Yes, it is. Camp Half-Blood always celebrates with a firework display. I hate to admit it, but you do a much better job than us."

"The fireworks are also Camp Half-Blood's biggest dating event," a familiar voice said.

We all turned towards the voice, and it was none other than Vince. I wasn't sure if I should relax or tense up, considering how he had hit on me when we first met. He sauntered up to us, shoving his hands into his shorts' pockets. Hector looked not amused, while Claudia appeared vaguely wary.

"Um, hi, Vince," I greeted him, unsure what else to say.

"Eleni, my new favorite person!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "Glad to see you came back alive! The Underworld's a _deadly_ place. Haha, get it?"

"Gods, not the puns again," Claudia muttered under her breath.

"You said something about the fireworks being a dating event…" I said slowly.

Vince nodded. "Yep! Guys typically do the asking, but people ask the person they like to watch the fireworks with them."

"I… see," I said, immediately feeling dejected.

I liked Lee, but… there was no way I could ask him to the fireworks. Not after Ray had literally _just_ broken up with him. Besides, he wasn't even here. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't even return to camp tonight, not with this happening. It had to be a painful reminder to him.

"Well, um, have fun…" I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder. "I'm gonna head back to my cabin…"

"Hey, wait!" Vince exclaimed as I started to walk away. "I wasn't done yet!"

I paused, glancing back at him. "What…?"

"I came here on behalf of my blood brother, Aeneas Belrose," Vince announced dramatically, placing a hand over his heart. "He would be honored to have you join him to watch the fireworks together."

My eyes widened, my face burned, and my heart skipped a beat. "Wh-What? Aeneas… He…"

"Well… no." Vince lowered his hand, smiling sheepishly. "He has no idea I'm here, and probably would kill me if he knew I just said that. I just thought I'd ask you to watch with us, since your friends are… _preoccupied_."

My heart sunk. Of course. He was just being melodramatic. That would never actually happen. I quickly pushed the idea out of my mind.

"I… I guess…" I bit my bottom lip, my hands dropping down to wring at the bottom of my shirt.

Vince seemed to falter, like he hadn't expected my reluctance. "Well, you don't _have_ to. It's just an invitation. Aeneas doesn't have a date, like usual, and neither do I— _yet_ , anyways. So we're just gonna be hanging as friends."

I guess it wouldn't be a terrible idea… otherwise I would probably feel lonely when the fireworks went off. I imagined Cassie already had a date or had other friends she would be watching with.

"But! About my date situation…" Vince turned towards the praetors, smiling mischievously. "So, Claudia… what do you say to this: you, me, sitting on a blanket on the beach, watching the fireworks together? Aeneas will be there, but we can ignore him."

Claudia's eyes widened, her cheeks visibly darkening. "E-Excuse me?"

I… was completely caught off guard. Vince asked _Claudia_ out?! She was like… _three inches_ taller than him! I mean, yeah, she was pretty, even with that scar on her face, but I just… didn't think he would have the guts to ask a _praetor_ to the fireworks. And Claudia looked just as taken aback—and embarrassed. Well, it probably _was_ embarrassing to be asked on a date in front of both Chiron and your fellow praetor.

Vince just continued to smile. "You and me, watching the fireworks together. What do you say?"

"I…" She sighed, smiling sadly. "I'm sorry Vince, but I already promised Maia we'd watch the fireworks together, so we can catch up."

"Oh." But Vince didn't even look disappointed that long. "Well, that's good! Maia prolly could use some scolding."

Claudia laughed. "Most likely. But how about this, Vince… Sometime while we're here, we go out to the city for dinner."

His face lit up with a grin. "You've got yourself a deal, Claudia! I better go, though. Aeneas will get suspicious if I'm gone too long." He looked over at me. "Hope to see you tonight, Eleni!"

With that, Vince headed off, leaving us all behind, standing in silence. Holy crap… I just witnessed Vincent Soldati get a date with Claudia Guerrero. I wasn't sure that was even possible. Claudia seemed so serious, and Vince was… well, _far_ from serious. Maybe opposites do attract after all.

"W-Well, um," I said, breaking the silence. "I'm actually going back to my cabin now."

Before any of them could say anything, I hurried off, not wanting to be dragged into another conversation.

* * *

After much debating… I decided I would watch the fireworks with Aeneas and Vince. So after putting my things away in my cabin, I went to the showers to clean up. It felt so good to scrub the sweat, dirt, and who knows what else off my skin. My hair proved more difficult, as it was snarled up in knots because of how curly it was, but I managed. I changed into clean clothes, feeling completely refreshed. Misty was waiting for me when I left the building; she followed me around everywhere.

Dinner came first, and I sat alone at Hades's table. There wasn't even a child of Pluto from Camp Jupiter. Lee had returned, though, I noted, seeing him sitting at Zeus's table with Paris and Hector, completely ignoring them. Ray was sitting with all of the Athena kids, next to his sister, looking more solemn than usual, while Olivia was laughing about something. Cassie was chatting with her half siblings at Apollo's table. Maia was alone at Poseidon's table, like me. Aeneas was at Aphrodite's table, keeping to himself, a stark contrast to Vince chatting it up at Ares's table, where Bellona's kids were placed. I noted he was sitting next to Claudia. And then there was Riley, snickering about something at Demeter's table. Most of everyone looked so happy. I was envious of their ignorance.

This was my home now… with all these kids. They might not have accepted me yet, because I was the daughter of Hades… but I would prove myself to them. I would. _Somehow_.

When dinner ended, everyone started pairing off for the fireworks, while the Hephaestus kids went off to set up the fireworks—which were apparently kept in a small barge. Taking a deep breath, I gathered all my courage to walk over to where Vince had met up with Aeneas at the side of the Aphrodite table.

"Um, hi," I said to them, waving shyly.

Aeneas blinked, surprised to see me. "Oh, hey—wait." He shot Vince an accusing look. "What did you do?"

Vince raised his hands innocently. "Nothing, man, I just invited her to watch with us. As friends. Unless, well, you have other ideas…"

Aeneas pressed a hand to his forehead. "Gods, you won't ever stop, will you?"

He grinned cheekily. "Nope!"

I sighed. "If it's going to be a problem, I'll just watch by myself…"

"What?" Aeneas's eyes widened. "No, no, it's not a problem. Nobody should be alone tonight. This is supposed to boost morale, not lower it."

His words were surprisingly soothing, and a wave of relief rushed over me. Aeneas was… more understanding than I thought he would be. He seemed Roman to the core, but… still had a grasp on human emotions. Well, he _was_ the son of Venus. I had felt so awkward around him before, because of how handsome he was, but now, I felt at ease.

I managed to smile. "Thank you, Aeneas."

"Haha…" He let out an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "Just speaking the truth. Right, Vince?"

"Right," Vince agreed, an amused smile tugging at his lips. "Are you two _sure_ you don't wanna be alone?"

"H-Huh?" I stammered, my cheeks bursting into flames. "I, um…"

" _Vince_." Aeneas shot him another look.

"Hey, I dunno about you, but I think you two just had a moment," he said, raising his hands again and shrugging.

"Vince, if this is your lame ass attempt to sneak away to see Claudia, you're not fooling me," Aeneas deadpanned. "Let's go get our spot before someone else does."

"Sheesh, somebody's cranky tonight!" Vince huffed.

"Yeah, well, you'd be cranky too if you had to listen to your half-sisters argue over which male celebrities are the hottest during dinner."

Gods… I really felt bad for Aeneas. That sounded like a nightmare.

We headed for the beach then, after quickly stopping by the Mars cabin to grab Vince's beach blanket. They chose a spot further back, but still in the center of the beach. Once the blanket had been spread out, we all sat down, but Vince insisted that I sit between them. I felt a little awkward about it, seeing as I knew these boys even less than I knew Lee and Ray, coupled with the fact that they were older than me.

But finally, the fireworks started. I was amazed to see them shot in succession, like playing a movie frame by frame, showing famous scenes in Greek mythology. There was Perseus slaying Medusa, Athena cursing Arachne, Theseus killing the Minotaur, and George Washington sailing across the Delaware River. I was speechless the entire time, leaning back as I watched in awe. The Hephaestus kids were amazing if they did this all themselves.

"Well, what do you think?" Vince asked, looking over at me. "Amazing, right?"

"It is!" I exclaimed. "Wow, I never thought I'd see fireworks that actually show stories."

Aeneas let out a light laugh, also looking over at me. "Yeah… the view is really beautiful here."

I knew he was talking about the fireworks, but I felt my cheeks flush from his comment. I quickly looked away, relieved that it was too dark out for him to see my face clearly enough to notice. Gods, talk about embarrassing…

"And here comes the finale!" Vince cheered. "Eleni, you've gotta see this!"

I looked back up at the sky, and it was amazing.

The finale was huge, at least one hundred feet tall, ironically showing one of the fights in the Trojan War, but of no one specifically. It finished with a flurry of colors, like a rainbow. Cheering erupted throughout the beach, and everyone started clapping. We joined in.

"Happy Independence Day, guys," Vince laughed. "America's survived another year."

"You make it sound like a feat," Aeneas snorted.

"Well, with Mount Olympus being above the Empire State Building, you never know."

My eyes widened. "That's where Olympus is?! No wonder my mom didn't let me go on a field trip there when I was a kid…"

"Hey, you could still go someday," Vince told me. "Camp Half-Blood does field trips there sometimes, on the solstices. I swear you Greeks get to do all the fun stuff."

"Hey, we get to do fun stuff too," Aeneas protested. "Like the War Games."

"The War Games aren't the same as _visiting Mount Olympus_ , Aeneas. Though I guess it's better than we Romans don't visit. Could screw something up."

"Knowing you, you'd piss off Zeus or something," Aeneas joked.

"Nah, I think that's Eleni's job," Vince chuckled.

"Well, it's not a lie," I said, which got them both to laugh.

Eventually, everyone started going back to their cabins, so I had to part ways with them. But… I was happy. I definitely had two more friends in Aeneas and Vince… and that made me feel so much better. I was only worried about one thing now.

Tomorrow and what the prophecy would bring.

* * *

 _Tuesday, July 5th, 2033._

* * *

I woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed, and got ready for the day. After some thought, I decided to just leave my hair down, since I hadn't been able to do that during the quest. I knew something bad would happen today… or maybe tomorrow… but soon. So I slipped Goetia onto my finger and tied Katoptris's sheath around my waist. I left the cabin then, only to be surprised to see Misty assaulting Lee with kisses.

"H-Hey, down girl, down, I just came to-"

And down he went, Misty right on top of him. The hellhound barked happily, rattling me down to the bone, wagging her tail. I couldn't even see Lee underneath the gigantic dog.

"Misty!" I exclaimed chidingly. "Off! Now!"

She looked back at me, let out a whine, and then shifted off Lee, plopping herself down in front of the cabin dejectedly. I hurried forward to make sure he was all right.

"Lee, are you okay-" I cut myself off, covering my mouth with my hand.

He was covered from head to toe with slobber, which he was trying to wipe off his face. Groaning, he shook some of the excess slobber off his hand, flinging it onto the grass. It was taking every ounce of self-control I had to not just burst out laughing.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he grumbled, pushing himself up into a sitting position. "Chiron sends me to tell you we're having a counselor meeting, and Misty freaks out from seeing me. Like we didn't see each other yesterday, you silly dog!"

Misty whined, lowering her head in shame.

"She only meant well," I said sheepishly, still fighting back laughter as I lowered my hand.

"Yeah, but now I have to clean off all this hellhound spit…" Lee let out an exasperated sigh, and heaved himself back up onto his feet. "Go on ahead without me, all right? You know where the Big House is."

I nodded. "Okay. I let everyone know you're running late."

"Thanks," he said, turning to go. "See you in a bit."

We watched him walk away, feeling that ache in my heart return. He was acting different already. In only twenty-four hours, he seemed… bitter. Lee had never been carefree, but he hadn't been obviously resentful either. I sighed heavily. I wish there was something I could do, something I could say, to make him feel better. But having the love of your life push you away like that… was far from easy. It would probably be best to just give him space for now.

"Come on, Misty," I said, reaching up to give her a quick scratch behind the ear. "Let's go."

The hellhound followed me as I made my way to the Big House. On my way, I saw Olivia with Berenice, and she waved to me. I returned the wave, smiling a little. When I got to the house, I found Ray standing outside, in front of the porch, speaking with none other than Paris and Hector. I tensed on reflex, and gestured for Misty to stay where she was, before walking over to join them.

"Hi guys," I said, trying to feign friendliness. "Do you know what this meeting is about?"

Ray seemed relieved to see me, opening his mouth to answer my question, only to be interrupted.

"Forget about the meeting," Paris said, smiling in a way that made my skin crawl. "I've been waiting to see you, Eleni."

"Um…" My stomach churned as my nerves kicked up. "Okay…?"

"I would've asked you to the fireworks last night, but it seems Aeneas got to you before me," he sighed, sounding dejected.

"Um… Vince invited me to watch with them as friends," I clarified, very confused by the turn this conversation had taken.

Ray rolled his eyes. "Paris is just jealous that Aeneas is hotter than him. Probably was the same way for the originals."

Paris scowled darkly. "Butt out of my conversation with Helen, Raymond."

Not this shit again… "I'm _not_ Helen," I retorted, immediately agitated. "My name is _Eleni Spiros_ , and you better use it. I've heard enough of this Helen crap."

"You heard her," Hector said gruffly. "Just drop it, Paris."

"I will _not_ ," Paris snapped, turning to glower at his brother. "You _know_ why, Hector. I thought you were on our side."

…Our side? Not… my side? What was-

Hector bristled. "I am, _little brother_. I just don't want you to make the same mistakes as your namesake."

"It's not a mistake," Paris snapped, looking at me again. "Helen is rightfully mine."

"Okay, I always thought you were a little creepy," Ray began, his voice hardening, "but you're starting to cross the line. Eleni doesn't belong to anyone. Calm. _Down_."

But Paris ignored him. Instead, he reached out, grabbing me by the arm, and roughly yanked me over to him. Warning bells rang in my head, my heart freezing as fear and panic seized me. Gods, what was he going to do?! On instinct, I pulled Katoptris out of its sheath, and sunk the blade right into Paris's shoulder.

"LET ME GO!"

Paris screamed in pain, shoving me away from him and also ripping the knife out because of that. Blood squirted out, and he clamped his hand down over the wound, staggering back and nearly falling down on the stairs. I was knocked down, landing hard on my butt, the bloodied blade wrenched from my fingers in the impact. The grass around me died in that instant, as I grimaced in pain.

"You fucking _bitch!_ " Paris snarled, clutching at his shoulder, red blood oozing between his fingers. "You would deny Troy?!"

"Are you insane?!" Ray demanded, his entire body tense, and I realized he didn't have a weapon. "Back off. _Now_."

Hector sighed heavily, closing his eyes. "I didn't want to have to do this, but you've left me no choice."

I slowly started to get up, inching towards where Ray was standing. We needed to stick together. Hector reached into his pocket, and pulled out something—something that immediately transformed into a menacing imperial gold spear, with a spearhead shaped like a sharpened lightning bolt. Lee's story rushed through my mind. I knew what was going to happen. _Gods_.

Lightning. He was going to summon lightning.

The air began to sizzle, yellow electricity crackling along the spear. Ray's eyes widened with horror, while Paris smirked disturbingly. My breath caught in my throat as I froze with terror. Images flashed through my mind—a robot attacking my friends… a robot attacking because of me… a robot with me inside being fried with electricity. That was why I was afraid of lightning. That was why I was afraid of thunderstorms.

It happened too fast. All I could hear was an earthshaking boom, like thunder, but then Ray— _my dear friend, Ray_ —got in the way. Then… all I could hear was his bloodcurdling scream as he was viciously electrocuted by the lightning bolt Hector summoned, his body flung backwards.

 _Fear the dark, Child of the Dead,_

 _For one must die in your stead._

Ray crumpled to the ground, charred from the voltage. The door to the Big House burst open, but I couldn't see who it was. There was shouting, arguing—something was happening, but I couldn't take my eyes off Ray… off his body.

No. No no no. Not Ray… why Ray?! This was all my fault. _All my fault_. If I had just agreed to go with Paris…

"RAY?!"

That voice. I knew that voice. It was Lee. Oh gods, it was _Lee_.

Numb. That's how I felt.

The air was cold, like my agony was sapping the life out of everything around me. Darkness licked at the grass, seeping out of me, killing whatever vegetation it touched, sucking in nearby shadows, absorbing them. I saw Lee run to Ray's body. He was crying, begging Ray to open his eyes, to wake up. But I knew it was pointless. He was dead. I had felt the life leave his body as soon as he was struck by lightning. His soul was gone.

I staggered to my feet. No one was paying attention to me. Blades were being pointed at the Romans. Chiron was trying to get everyone to stop. But I didn't care. Hector had killed my friend. Because of Paris. Because of this stupid Troy shit.

I realized I was crying. Tears were streaming down my face, but I felt nothing anymore. Just… agony. Grief. Rage. The desire for _vengeance_. They would pay for this. Gods, they would _pay_.

I pulled off Goetia, unleashing the dark blade, and without thinking… plunged the sword into the earth.

* * *

 **And now we come to the end of the first arc!**

 **Before I go any further, I will be going back through these first eleven chapters and editing them, making minor tweaks and all that to make sure everything is nice and neat before continuing. This includes new chapter titles, to fit the PJO style, because they're just _hilarious_. **

**I'm not sure how long this will take, so until that is finished, this fic will be on a short hiatus. I'm really excited to continue, though, so unless I get busy, it shouldn't last terribly long.**

 **There will be three arcs in total. The second arc will feature the Trojan War element of the plot, while the third and final arc will occur after a time skip to the next year, and will deal with our mysterious big bad.**

 **Again, thank you to each and everyone of you who has taken the time to leave a review. It really means a lot to me! See you soon!**


	12. We Carry On, Or Not

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 12: WE CARRY ON... OR NOT**

* * *

 **MAIA**

* * *

 _Tuesday, July 12th, 2033._

* * *

I wasn't good with funerals.

I'd been to too many for my liking already. Funerals of my mom's friends… my mom's… and now this.

A week after Paris's betrayal and the splitting of the two camps, we gathered in the amphitheater. We sat in the stands, save for Athena's cabin, which gathered around the coffin, which was draped with a gray shroud. I had seen the shroud beforehand, and it was beautiful—in the center was Aegis, with a snake on the right, an owl on the left, and olive branches above and below. Lee had been asked to give a speech, since Olivia was too much of a mess to say anything coherent about her brother.

A heavy silence permeated the entire amphitheater as Lee stood in front of the coffin, Olivia by his side. The Apollo kids oversaw sound quality, so they probably would be amplifying his voice when he spoke, so everyone could hear. Lee looked down at Olivia, reaching out to rest a hand on her back. Olivia seemed to sniffle, wiping at her nose with her sleeve.

"I… don't even know where to start," Lee began, his voice heavy. "I'd never imagined I would ever be in this position… having to give a eulogy."

Nobody ever expected it. That's just how death was—it came suddenly. My mom had been a pilot in the air force. No one thought she would die. And the events leading up to her death didn't make any sense. There had been literally _nothing_ wrong with her bomber jet before taking off, yet it still malfunctioned and crashed. The autopsy report said she drowned… She had crashed into a small lake, and for some reason the impact didn't kill her. Neptune should have been able to protect her from the water… but he didn't. And for that reason, I _hated_ him.

"Ray was my best friend," Lee said, his voice growing softer, but still comprehensible. "He… was known for a lot of things—his intelligence, wisdom, and kindness were always what struck me the most, though. He was always supportive of everyone, and that's one of the reasons everyone liked him. I don't think we would've survived our quest without him."

It wasn't that surprising. Even though I wasn't on the best terms with the Athena kids, I did hold some respect for them. They didn't have any special superpowers, but they were insanely smart. Ray's brains were probably what got them through whatever the hell they went through on the way to the Underworld—not that either of them talked about what happened.

"Ray… always did what he believed was right," Lee sighed heavily, looking down at the ground. "To the very end. He… wanted to protect everyone, even if it hurt him… even if it cost him his life." He squeezed his eyes shut. "I will never forget Ray… or his sacrifice. He died doing the right thing—a hero's death. We should remember him as such. I know I will."

Lee turned around, facing the shrouded coffin, and pulled something out of his pocket. It must have been a lighter, because he used it to set the gray shroud on fire. Orange flames burst to life, eating away at both the shroud and coffin. Lee stepped back, rejoining Olivia.

I wasn't good with funerals.

It reminded me too much of what I had lost myself. But I wasn't sure what was worse now.

Hector had declared us traitors when Claudia refused to side with him and Paris. The alliance between Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood shattered in that moment. A Roman had outright murdered a Greek. And the murderer just happened to be one of the _praetors_. Chaos had ensued, and campers were forced to pick sides. Those of us who did not want a new Troy or Trojan War remained in Camp Half-Blood, whole those who sought after glory for Rome, which rebuilding Troy apparently brought, left for Camp Jupiter. All the Greeks, except for Paris, stayed here, but the Romans had split unevenly. My cousin hadn't been a praetor long enough to have more, much less the same, level of support as Hector.

Long story short, everything was a mess. And we had no idea what this meant for the Greeks who lived in New Rome, like the Seven and their families.

Everyone stayed until the fire burned everything to a husk. Then everyone started to slowly file out. I pushed myself up from my seat, and headed down the stairs too. Once I stepped down onto the ground, I looked over at the funeral pyre to see that Eleni had walked over to join Lee and Olivia. I watched as she hugged him, and he slowly returned the embrace.

It must be nice to have friends.

I turned my back to them again, and made my way out of the amphitheater. There was to be a meeting of Roman leaders after the funeral. I was only ranked legionnaire, but as a child of the Big Three, and due to the limited leadership that had sided with the Greeks, I was required to attend the meeting. I decided to head straight for the Big House.

By the time I got there, everyone else had arrived. Claudia was standing at the head of the table, speaking with Aeneas, who was on the right side. Vince was also here, standing next to Aeneas. I walked over to the other side of the table, pulled out a chair, and plopped down. I didn't feel like standing around like they were.

Claudia looked over at me. "Well, now that we're all here, we should begin."

"So, what's the first order of business?" Vince asked.

"I imagine the camp has elected a new praetor to replace me," Claudia said. "Normally, I would have no issue holding our own election, but we don't have the time, nor do we more than one suitable candidate. So I've decided to just appoint our next praetor."

"Who will it be?" Aeneas inquired.

"Oh, come on, Aeneas," Vince laughed. "That's a dumb question. We all know it's _you_."

"Vince is correct," Claudia said. "I, Claudia Guerrero, appoint you, Aeneas Belrose, as praetor, replacing the traitor Hector Leroy."

"Congrats," I said, leaning back in my seat. "You'll definitely do a better job."

"I…" Aeneas sighed. "Are you sure, Claudia? Vince… may be better suited, with his past memories."

"Hey, dude, don't belittle yourself!" Vince retorted. "Besides, _me_ , leading an army? Are you crazy? That's just asking for trouble. I'm not good with administration shit."

"Past memories?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow. "You mean like… past life? Reincarnation?"

"Uh, yeah…" Vince rubbed the back of his head. "I was reincarnated. My past life… has experience being the leader of an army. But that doesn't mean I want to do that _now_. I'm pretty content being second honcho. It… definitely comes with benefits."

He gave my cousin a wink and I fought the urge to gag. Claudia narrowed her eyes, but the blush darkening her cheeks was unmistakable.

"Gods, Vince," Aeneas groaned. "Can you not?"

"I'm afraid that's impossible," he laughed, now winking at his friend.

"Can we please stay on topic?" I grumbled.

"I agree," Claudia stated dryly. "Aeneas, did you contact the Hunters of Artemis to inform them of the current events? I remember they sent a message saying they would not be able to visit for celebrations due to Artemis sensing something they needed to hunt."

"Yes, I did," Aeneas answered, clasping his hands behind his back. "Penelope was… alarmed, to say the least. She said she wished there was more they could do to help, but they're occupied with the hunt."

"Figures," I muttered. Penelope was my sister, and had managed to be there for me way more than Hector was ever there for his brothers, despite the camp barriers, but I would be lying if I said I didn't resent her for leaving me behind for the Hunters. "Is there _anything_ they can help us with?"

"Not at this moment," Aeneas said, shaking his head. "We're on our own for the most part. I have no idea what Olympus is planning either."

I fought the urge to groan again. Whenever we needed the gods, they were absent. It happened every single damn time.

"We'll just have to go day by day," Claudia sighed. "Chiron has said we must prepare for war, and that is what we shall do."

"I can help with training," Aeneas said. "I can teach the Greeks how to beat our formations. It goes against everything we've been taught, but… Hector and Paris must be stopped."

"I think we can all agree with that," Vince said, nodding. "Besides, we… probably can't trust the mental states of the Greeks' two most powerful demigods right now."

Everyone at the table stiffened at his last statement. I couldn't help but think back to the day that Hector murdered Ray, exactly a week ago. Lee had been a blubbering mess, rendering him utterly useless, but Eleni? The easiest way to describe it… _She lost her shit_. She just… I don't know… caused a use explosion of dark energy that permanently killed the lawn in front of the Big House. And she would have killed Paris if Aeneas hadn't interfered. He had to charmspeak her over and over again until she finally stopped.

"…Speaking of that, how are your ribs, Aeneas?" Claudia asked, looking over at him. "Eleni walloped you really hard with the hilt of that sword of hers."

He winced. "They're fine. I've had worse. Besides, the Apollo kids do their job well. I'm more concerned about _them_. Lee finally came out of his cabin for the funeral today. And Eleni hasn't spoken to me since the incident."

"Well, have you considered trying to talk to _her_ first?" Vince asked dryly. "Gods, she just saw her friend be _murdered_. I wouldn't be very talkative earlier."

His eyes widened. "I… didn't want to bother her."

Vince shook his head, reaching up to place his hand on his friend's shoulder. _"Trust_ me, you wouldn't be bothering her."

Claudia cleared her throat, drawing our attention back to her. "I also am promoting you to centurion, Vince. We will need one with Aeneas's promotion."

Vince nodded. "I will be my honor to serve as centurion of… what cohort are we even?"

"Well, it looks like most of the Fifth Cohort stayed," Aeneas said. "You can take my spot there. If only Melanie had stayed…"

Oh, right… his wannabe girlfriend. Only someone who was blind wouldn't notice that Melanie Lavigne had a huge ass crush on Aeneas Belrose. Yet, she chose to side with Hector in this mess. I wasn't sure what was going on in her head either. Did she think she could "save" Aeneas or something? What bullshit. She was the one who needed saving.

Love was stupid and pointless. It only brought people more pain. It definitely hadn't helped _me_.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, I pushed back my chair and stood up. "Are we done now? 'Cause if we are, can I go?"

There wasn't even much I could contribute to this discussion. I was just a soldier. I wasn't a praetor, or a centurion. I was just the unlucky daughter of Neptune. I had never really mattered to Camp Jupiter. That's why I felt so at home here at Camp Half-Blood. People were actually not assholes to me. And I could spend as much time in the forge as I wanted.

Claudia sighed. "You may go, Maia."

I left the Big House then, not waiting for anything else. I headed down the front steps, stepping down onto the dried out yellow grass that now covered the front lawn. My combat boots crunched on the dead grass as I walked across, heading back to the camp. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. The forge was too busy with the Hephaestus kids constructing new weapons for the approaching war. I probably could help with that, but… tensions between Romans and Greeks were high, even with an entire cohort siding with them. I didn't want to push it.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that something bad would happen soon. We needed to be prepared so we wouldn't be taken by surprise like last time.

Paris… I didn't even want to imagine what that sick bastard was planning.

* * *

 **This was really short, and for that, I apologize, but here is the beginning of the second arc! I recommend going through and rereading the past arc to catch the changes I've made to tie everything up nicely.**

 **Also, I thought I'd announce ships, as we'll be finally getting into romance this arc: Aeneas/Eleni, Riley/Cassie, Maia/Olivia, and Vince/Claudia! Oh, I can't forget Lee/Revenge and Paris/His obsession.**

 **I'm really excited for this arc, diving into all the Trojan War goodness! Or badness, whatever perspective you want to take.**

 **Again, thank you for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy!**


	13. Paris Starts a War

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 13: PARIS STARTS A WAR**

* * *

 **ELENI**

* * *

 _Friday, August 5th, 2033._

* * *

I swung the blade, striking out at Aeneas, but he expertly dodged, avoiding the attack. He came in for a counter attack, which I managed to block with Goetia. But he shoved me back, which made me stagger, and I almost lost my balance. Maybe a couple of days ago I would have fallen, but I was able to stay on my feet. I had been training with Aeneas for almost a month now, to become a better fighter. He was a harsh teacher, but I didn't regret asking him to train me, with Lee being… not himself.

We continued like this for a couple more minutes, striking and dodging, like a battle dance. My muscles burned from the exertion, but I _had_ to keep up with him. Sweat was dribbling down the back of my neck, even though I had pulled my hair up into a high ponytail to keep it out of the way. But Aeneas? He didn't look much worse, but he was in shape.

Our blades clanged together one last time, before Aeneas pushed against Goetia hard enough that I did fall back, landing right on my butt. Pointing his sword at me, Aeneas narrowed his eyes, like he was scrutinizing me, before sighing, shifting into a more relaxed stance, and sheathing his weapon.

"I knew you were tired," he said. "You lasted maybe five minutes, Eleni. You can do better than this. Are you getting enough sleep?"

Sighing, I pushed myself up, returned Goetia to a ring, slipped it onto my finger, and brushed off my pants. "I'm fine, Aeneas…"

"You really expect me to buy that?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "The last time you said, _'I'm fine, Aeneas'_ you were wearing a sweater in ninety degree weather."

I stiffened. Gods, why did he have to mention that? I didn't want to think about how I had started hurting myself again after Ray's death. I only stopped because Aeneas made me give him Katoptris, or he would've told Chiron. I was still a bit mad about that…

"Are you going to lecture me again?" I asked crisply.

"I'm not lecturing," he retorted with exasperation. "I'm just… _concerned_. And there's how you spend all your free time with Lee. You have other friends than him, you know."

It was a month today—exactly one month since Ray had been murdered by Hector. Exactly one month since demigods were forced to choose sides—Greek or Roman. Those who chose to side with Paris and Hector had probably gotten back to Camp Jupiter by now. Only a select few Romans had sided with us—but even the Fifth Cohort had split in two.

The first week had been hell. Apparently, I had… snapped and tried to kill Paris. Aeneas had intervened, but had to use his charmspeak to pull me out of my vengeful rage—but not before I cracked his ribs by jabbing the hilt of my sword into his side. I felt terrible about that, and apologized profusely, but he insisted that I had not been myself and it was fine… but the thing was… I _had_ been myself. That was it—my fatal flaw. Even now, just thinking about it, the grudge I now held against Paris and Hector… It made me scowl.

As for Lee… That first week, he didn't come out of his cabin. At all. Nor would he let anyone inside. It wasn't until the funeral that he came outside. I talked to him that day, for the first time since he had to be dragged away from Ray's body… and after that, I decided to spend as much time with him as possible… so maybe I could look out for him, like Ray had asked me to. It… was the least I could do. But ever since then, Lee had been become… focused. He was training harder than even I was, with whatever resolve that now drove him.

The Greeks who had been living in New Rome had arrived here a few weeks ago, too. It was then that I met the Heroes of Olympus who I had heard so much about—and most importantly, my two half siblings, Nico and Hazel. They were so much older than me, but… I felt like I had known them forever. And… I was able to give Nico the Hades Mythomagic figurine. He had given me the weirdest look, but accepted the gift. It wasn't until then that I felt at peace about that part of my life.

"I know I have other friends…" I sighed. "I'm just… looking out for Lee."

Aeneas reached up to run his hand through his hair, tousling it even more. I realized that he had let it grow out even more, to the point where it was getting shaggy. It… looked good on him, like that. In fact, I think he looked better with longer hair.

"Right…" he muttered. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for." His hand dropped back down to his side. But then he smiled awkwardly, looking almost hopeful. "Hey, I was wondering… since we're done for today, want to hang out for a little while longer?"

My eyes widened with surprise, as a wave of guilt rushed through me. "Oh, um… I'm sorry, but I promised Lee that I'd hang out with him after training."

"…Oh." His face fell, the hope vanishing. "Of course. I'll… see you later, then."

Before I could say another word, Aeneas turned around and walked away, leaving me standing there, feeling very much confused about what had just happened. That was… strange. Aeneas was never the one to ask me to hang out. It was always Vince. Why would that suddenly change…?

I sighed, and pushed the thought out of my mind. I didn't need something else to worry about. We were on the verge of war right now. Every day, we worried about being attacked. Leo had even started building a ship with the help of Maia and the Hephaestus kids, dubbing it the Argo III. And then there were the tensions between us and the Romans who had remained…

But I needed to clean up before going to see Lee, so I should get moving. First, I stopped at the bathroom to wash my face, getting all the sweat off of me, and then I returned to my cabin to change out of my workout clothes. Once I had clean clothes on, I took my hair out of its ponytail, brushed it out, and then put it back up, because it was just too hot outside to leave it down. Gods, I really hated summer sometimes.

I knew it was against the rules, but… Lee and I often met in his cabin first, before heading out to do something. That was when we discussed more serious things that we didn't want anyone else to accidentally overhear. I wasn't sure how Chiron hadn't found out yet, but… he was probably really busy with everything that was going on.

I left Cabin Thirteen then, and headed straight for Cabin One—Zeus's cabin. It was an intimidating structure, being the largest and bulkiest of all the cabins. It was made of white marble, with heavy columns in the front. It had polished bronze doors that shimmered like a hologram, with lightning bolts streaking down them. Everything about it screamed _Greece_ , but I didn't like it. The inside wasn't much better… I had no idea how Lee could live in there. But he preferred it here over Hades's cabin for our meetings. He called my cabin creepy.

Since Lee would be expecting me, I just opened the door and stepped inside. White walls stretched out before me, without any furniture filling up the space. The domed ceiling was decorated with moving mosaics of a cloudy sky and lightning bolts, constantly thundering, which continued to make me nervous, like Zeus could strike me down just for being in his cabin. There were alcoves with golden eagle statues, and one frightening statue of Zeus in the middle of the room. His eyes followed me as I walked over to the one corner he couldn't see, where my friend was sitting on his sleeping bag. No words were said as I sat down next to him.

Lee looked worse for wear. His shaggy black hair was unkempt, tousled and messy, his bangs nearly getting into his electric blue eyes. And his _eyes_ —they had this tortured gleam to them, mixed with a burning intensity that always sent chills down my spine. He didn't look at me. He was gazing at the photos he had taped to the wall—pictures of him and his family and friends over the years. He told me he got the idea from his half-sister Thalia, to lighten up the place. The picture in particular that he was staring at was one of him and Ray when they were eight years old—the first photo they had ever taken together. It showed two little boys, with messy black and ash brown hair, grinning widely at the camera. I wondered who took it.

"…I can't believe it's been a month." Lee's voice sounded hollow, and he still didn't look at me. "An entire month. He's been gone that long already."

I hated seeing him like this. My heart ached, for both him and my own loss. "I know…" I glanced down at my hands. "I miss him too."

He let out a heavy sigh, like wind rushing out of his lungs. "I don't know what to do, Eleni. This past month, I've… I don't know. I thought I needed to get stronger, to… to make Hector _pay_. But it's _not_ making me feel better." His hands clenched into fists. "I don't know what will."

Taking a risk, I reached out to place my hand over his fist. "It's okay to not know what to do… You're not alone in this, Lee… I'm… I'm here for you."

His eyes flickered down to our hands, and then up at me. My heart gave a nervous squeeze, but I forced myself to not pull back. He didn't say anything. Instead, he took my hand into his. At that, my cheeks finally burst into flames. G-Gods…

"…I haven't been a very good friend to you," he said quietly, looking back down at our entwined hands. "Ray was your friend, too."

"I-It's fine… You knew him longer than I did. You… You _dated_ him."

"…Yeah." His grip on my hand loosened, and he looked away. "I did, and look how it ended."

I felt stupid for mentioning that. "I-I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's just the truth." Lee looked back up at me. "I've decided… to not run away anymore."

My eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"My name… is _Achilles_." The words came out distastefully, like he really didn't want to be saying this, but was making himself anyways. "If Paris wants a Trojan War… I'll give it to him."

"Lee…" A sense of dread settled within me. "Achilles… died. He was _killed_ …"

"I know." He pulled his hand away. "If I have to die to end this damn war and save the two camps… then so be it. It's probably my destiny."

Hearing him say that… It made me feel sick. It made my stomach twist into knots, like I was going to vomit. I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to think about it. Losing Ray had been horrible enough. But Lee? I cared about him so much. I wasn't sure if I could handle it if he died too. He would probably never return my feelings, but I had accepted that. I just wanted to be his friend. I was content to just be in his life, as long as he was happy.

"N-No… Please don't say that." My bottom lip quivered. "I don't want you to die…"

He scowled, his expression darkened. "I have no reason to live now that Ray is gone. He was everything to me."

I could feel the tears filling my eyes, threatening to fall, but I fought them, feeling sorrow and anguish rush through me. I couldn't stay here, listening to him talk like this. I… I just couldn't! I pulled away completely.

"Well, I'm _sorry_ I'm not Ray!" The words came rushing out, fueled by my emotions. "I'm _sorry_ I can't replace him! I'm _sorry_ I'm not good enough! What am I supposed to do?! Go down to the Underworld and ask my dad to let him go? Will _that_ make you happy?!"

His eyes widened, taken aback by my outburst. "E-Eleni-"

"Don't _'Eleni'_ me!" I retorted. "I know what it feels like to want to die, Lee! Gods, I _know_. But signing yourself off for a suicide mission isn't the answer! Ray would want you to be happy! Why can't you _realize_ that?!"

He stared at me, mouth ajar. But no words came out. He said nothing. I realized that tears were streaming down my face.

"Ray was my friend too," I said, my voice cracking. "And I _miss_ him. But I'm trying to be strong, because the camp needs _us_ —the children of the Big Three—to be _strong_. We're the leaders. Ray understood that. He told me to look after you."

"Wh-What…?" Lee looked even more shocked. "He asked you to…"

"Yes, he did." I sighed heavily, feeling my anger beginning to wane. "But if you think you've got everything handled… then fine. I won't bother anymore."

I didn't even bother waiting for a response. I stood up, brushed off my legs, and left the cabin. I couldn't handle this today. Or ever again. I had tried, but this was my breaking point.

Some friend I was.

* * *

"Hey, aren't you excited for Capture the Flag?!"

Riley had scampered over to me as our team—Athena's team—was preparing for tonight's game. It was weird seeing him, a Roman, wearing Greek armor. It seemed to fit him a bit loosely, and he wasn't wearing a helmet. I was a bit surprised that he had come over to talk to me. Campers tended to avoid me like the plague, and my friends were busy getting ready themselves.

"Yeah, I guess," I said indifferently, returning my attention to adjusting my belt.

"Wow, somebody's in a bad mood," he grumbled, putting his hands on his hips. "Are you Hades kids always grumpy or is it the water here?"

I scowled. "Shut up, or I'll feed you to Misty."

He tilted his head to the side. "Didn't you send your hellhound to guard your mom?"

…Okay, so I had. Even though Hades had said he was keeping an eye on her, I couldn't help but feel paranoid about her safety. "…I can still summon her for a snack."

"Jeez, you really _are_ moody today!" Riley huffed. "I hope the game helps you feel better."

I immediately felt terrible. He had only been trying to cheer me up… Sighing, I finished fixing my belt. Gods… I was turning into a horrible person, wasn't I?

"I'm sorry, Riley," I muttered. "That was unnecessary. I'm just… having a bad day."

"Yeah…" He frowned. "Today's the day, isn't it? A month ago…"

I nodded. "It is."

"Well, if there's no better kind of distraction than a game of Capture the Flag!" Riley exclaimed cheerfully, resting his hand on the hilt of his gladius. "I need to go find Sunshine, though! See you later, Angel!"

For a moment I was confused, as I watched him head off. Oh wait… _Sunshine_ was his nickname for Cassie. He had names for everyone. I guess mine was _Angel_. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I was no angel. I was far from one. After checking to make sure Goetia was on my finger, I decided to go find Cassie as well. I hadn't seen her much at all today.

When I found them, Riley was saying something with a cheeky grin on his face, while Cassie looked beyond annoyed, her arms crossed over her chest. Neither of them seemed to notice me as I stopped next to them. I would've said something, but didn't get the chance.

"Just try not to accidentally strangle someone with vines this time," Cassie said dryly. "My cabin mates don't like treating neck wounds."

My eyes widened with horror. "Wh-What?"

"Oh, hey Eleni!" Riley exclaimed cheerfully, not bothered by my horrified expression at all. "Fancy seeing you again!"

"Y-You almost…" I began slowly, only for my voice to trail off.

Cassie let out an exasperated sigh. "Last year, he set up a vine trap for the enemy team. It didn't quite work as planned and the poor kid who got caught in it nearly got strangled. Demeter's kids are seriously underestimated."

Riley shrugged. "It's worse at Camp Jupiter."

I… wasn't quite sure what to say about that. If Riley, as a demigod, could do that… what could _Persephone_ do? She was a _goddess_. I really did not want to get on her bad side now. I mean, I never did, but I _really_ didn't want to now.

"So you're pretty powerful…" I summarized.

He shrugged again. "I guess so. I'm still nowhere near the same level as you and Lee, though. Even Aeneas has me beat."

"You're only fourteen," Cassie snorted. "I wouldn't worry about it." She then turned to me. "Are you ready for tonight's game?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I am."

She actually smiled. "Good. We all need some fun."

That was a bit of an understatement. We needed more than just a little fun… but I wasn't about to argue with her about it. I wanted to take my mind off everything that was happening, and Capture the Flag was perfect for that.

* * *

 _Saturday, August 6th, 2033._

* * *

"Thanks for training with me again, Vince."

The son of Bellona grinned, adjusting his grip on the pommel of his sword. "Don't sweat it, Eleni. It's the least I can do, y'know?"

Vince was dressed similarly to me—a tank top, workout shorts, etc. But you could see the black binder he wore underneath since he had no sleeves. I had found out weeks ago that he was transgender, because of training. It explained a lot—like why he was short and on the androgynous side. He saw no need to hide himself, which I found admirable. We had gotten past the awkwardness of our first meeting, and I found him to be very reliable and trustworthy.

I nodded, moving into my own battle stance, Goetia in my hands. "Before we start, can I ask you something?"

He frowned slightly. "Yeah, sure. What's up?"

"Um… well…" Suddenly feeling nervous, I slacked my stance. "I… have a problem."

Vince raised an eyebrow. "What kind of problem?"

"I…" I sighed. "There's… someone I care about. A lot. But they're… in a tough spot right now. I… want to tell them how I feel, but… I'm worried it will just make things worse for them, or… maybe even ruin our friendship. And I don't want to do that."

For this past month, I had been debating over whether or not I should tell Lee how I felt about him. I knew it was so soon after Ray's death, but at the same time I hated seeing his suffering and wished there was something I could do to help him through it. Friendship was great and all, but… I wanted to comfort him in ways that friends didn't. He was frustrating me right now, but that didn't mean I wanted to help him less.

He remained quiet at first, standing up straight and lowering his blade. "…You're talking about Lee, right?"

"H-Huh?" My eyes widened and I felt my cheeks burst into flames. "Wh-What makes you say that?"

He gave me a flat look. "Your reaction is exhibit A. Besides, it's so obvious a blind person could see it."

"I…" I sighed dejectedly. "Yes, it's him…"

Vince sighed as well. "That's… difficult, Eleni. It's only been a month. I'd give it more time. Rushing will only make things worse. I don't know Lee super well, but… losing a loved one is excruciating."

The way he said that… made me wonder if he, too, had lost someone he cared about.

"You're right," I muttered. "Thank you. And… please don't tell anyone about this."

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." Vince flashed a reassuring smile. "Let's get started now, though-"

He cut himself off as the ground began to tremble, then escalated to violent shaking. I nearly lost my footing and fell. Looking around, I saw that the buildings were shuddering, rocking back and forth with the quaking earth. The trees swayed, and one even crashed to the ground, completely uprooted from the soil. Other campers who were outside were struggling to stay upright, and some had even fallen. But that was when I saw the earth jutting up.

Fear struck me as I realized that the ground was splitting apart. And the crack was rushing towards us.

"Look out!" Vince shouted.

I barely had time to leap out of the way, stumbling and falling down onto my knees as the crack tore past us with a roar, ripping apart the earth. Thunder boomed in the distance, making me flinch hard, and I looked up to see dark storm clouds filling the blue sky, lightning crackling inside them. What was going on?! First an earthquake, and now a thunderstorm?!

I wasn't sure how long the earthquake lasted, but I just stayed where I was, hugging myself as I tried not to think about the vicious storm gathering above us. But finally, the earth stilled, just in time for a wicked lightning bolt to strike through the sky, and rain to burst from the heavens, pouring down even through the magical barrier that protected the camp from weather. Within seconds, I was drenched and cold.

"VINCE!"

We both turned to see a beautiful palomino pegasus flying towards us, someone on its back. The pegasus landed, causing a huge puddle of water that had already formed to splash everywhere. I realized it was Aeneas on its back.

"Aeneas," Vince began as his friend urged his pegasus closer, "what's going on?! Did someone piss Jupiter and Neptune off?"

Aeneas jumped off his pegasus's back, and I forced myself to get up onto my feet. I was on the other side of the huge fissure, but still close enough to see the grim look on his face. He took a deep breath, like he was steadying himself to answer Vince's question. First, he looked at his friend, and then at me, before finally speaking.

"…Penelope has been kidnapped."


	14. Maia Says 'I Told You So'

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 14: MAIA SAYS 'I TOLD YOU SO'**

* * *

 **AENEAS**

* * *

 _Saturday, August 6th, 2033._

* * *

The rain was pounding on the roof of the Big House, heavy and relentless. As soon as my half-sister Libby had sent me the Iris message about Penelope's kidnapping, I had jumped on Aurelius and rushed to find Vince. I asked him to then go find Claudia, Maia, and Lee to bring them to a Big House for a meeting. I wanted to discuss this turn of events with them and only them. Since Eleni had already been with Vince when I found him, she came right with me—but not before we both went to change into dry clothes, otherwise we'd get sick and would be no help to Penelope then. That didn't take the chill out of the air, though. By the time we got to the Big House, with raincoats keeping us dry, I felt as cold as ice.

Instead of giving us the rec room for the meeting, Chiron ushered us to the mostly unused living room, where there was a fireplace. He said he would get some refreshments together for the meeting, before disappearing into the kitchen and leaving us alone. Eleni immediately gravitated to the blazing fire that filled the room with warmth, after hanging up her soaked raincoat. I watched her sit down in front of the fire before shrugging out of my own coat and hanging it up on the rack.

I suddenly felt… awkward. Being alone with a girl because of training was fine. I could handle it. Being alone with a girl in a cozy setting like this… was _difficult_.

Eleni shivered even in front of the fire, pulling down the sleeves of her sweater and wrapping her arms around herself. I thought of our last conversation. Gods… How was I supposed to talk to her now? I hoped it didn't take too long for Vince to get the others.

She shivered again, and I realized it was probably her soaked hair that was making her cold. Looking around, I spotted a blanket thrown over an arm chair. I grabbed it and walked over to carefully drape it over her shoulders before sitting down next to her.

She glanced up in surprise, her cheeks tinting pink. "O-Oh. Thank you."

I gave a shrug. "You looked cold."

Biting her bottom lip, she nodded, before reaching back to lift up her damp hair so it wasn't underneath the blanket.

A deep roll of thunder boomed, close enough to cause everything to shake. Eleni flinched, wrapping the blanket around herself. "G-Gods… will they ever stop fighting?"

"Who knows," I muttered. "Zeus's son kidnapped Poseidon's daughter. That's got to have majorly pissed Poseidon off."

Just saying that made me sigh heavily. When Libby told me what happened, I could barely believe it. Paris actually had the nerve to _kidnap_ someone? And not just anyone—a _Hunter of Artemis?_ Yeah, Zeus and Poseidon were fighting each other, but infuriating Artemis was something I would not highly recommend. I was also confused about why he would kidnap _Penelope_ when Aurelia had been adamant that _Eleni_ was Helen.

It didn't really matter in the end. Paris truly had gone off the deep end.

Eleni sighed, pulling up her knees. "I'm so sorry about Penelope… Lee told me you were close."

"Yeah…" I sighed again. "Penelope went on quests with Paris and me. We were… sort of like you, Lee, and Ray. But then she went off and joined the Hunters two years ago. Paris… could never accept that."

She stayed silent for a moment, looking down at her feet. "…He should have kidnapped me. I should've been the one. I have Katoptris. Aurelia called me Helen. It's all my fault… I'm so sorry."

I shook my head, closing my eyes for a moment. "No one knew this was what he was going to do, Eleni. This isn't your fault. None of it is." I turned to look at her. "Paris is doing this of his own free will, whether the Fates started it or not. We can only blame him."

More thunder boomed, shaking the house violently. Eleni flinched, yelping this time. Gods, she must be afraid of thunderstorms or something. I couldn't really blame her for that. I couldn't really say she was safe from being struck by lightning, either.

"I just… feel like everyone would be so much better off if I never came to camp…" She wrapped her arms around her knees. "Then maybe… none of this would've happened."

I sighed heavily, closing my eyes again for a moment. "I understand why you feel that way… but I'm glad you did. Because if you hadn't, I'd never have gotten to meet you."

Her eyes widened, her cheeks turning an even darker shade of red. "Oh, u-um… I'm glad we're friends, too."

…I fought the urge to sigh for the millionth time.

Then I heard the door open behind us, and we both glanced back to see Lee entering with a gust of rain blowing in with him. He slammed the door shut, before letting out an exasperated sigh and dropping the hood to his raincoat. For some reason, Eleni stiffened instead of getting all happy to see him.

"Gods, it's crazy out there," he grumbled. "I don't think the gods have ever been this pissed at each other."

"I don't think they have either," I sighed. "Come on over, Lee. It's warmer over here."

He nodded, and proceeded to take off his dripping wet raincoat. I faced forward again, and noticed that Eleni was chewing nervously on her bottom lip. She looked away as Lee came over and sat down on the couch closest to us. Okay… This was weird. So much for them being attached at the hip, huh? Neither of them said a word to each other, leaving me feeling awkward for being caught in the middle of whatever happened between them. I decided to get up and sit in the armchair to avoid being stuck smack dab in the middle of their tension.

It didn't get to last very long, thank the gods, because the door burst open again, and in came a very pissed Maia de la Fuente, which sadly was not much better.

"THAT ASSHOLE KIDNAPPED PENELOPE?!"

Maia appeared furious, with a dangerous glint in her sea green eyes. And there wasn't a single drop of water on her—that lucky little shit. She stormed up to me, scowling something fierce.

"Yes-" I began to answer, only to be cut off.

"UGH! I'm gonna KILL him!" Maia raged, hands clenching into fists so tight her skin began to whiten. "I _told_ you I saw Paris talking to a creepy shadow thing, but _nooooo_ nobody fucking believes me!"

Lee narrowed his eyes. "What the hell does that have to do with Penelope being kidnapped?"

She scowled harder. "What, do you seriously think Paris came up with this _'let's rebuild Troy'_ bullshit on his own? And did everybody forget that the shadows killing campers thing?! Come _on_ , it's obviously all connected."

"…She has a point," Eleni said quietly, sinking deeper into the blanket. "With everything that's happened… nobody noticed, but no one else has died… It can't be just a coincidence…"

Looking back, she was right. Ever since Paris's betrayal and the loss of Ray, not a single camper had been found dead. I hadn't even thought of it all being connected… but it had to be, with the prophecy. We'd been so distracted with everything, we hadn't thought about it. At least, I knew that was the case for me. I was so busy trying to make sure what was left of Camp Jupiter didn't fall apart. Being a praetor was hard enough under normal circumstances, but I had been appointed during a difficult time.

I sighed heavily, running a hand through my hair. "Well, at least we won't be losing any campers _that_ way."

"For _now_ …" Eleni looked over at me. "We don't know how long this will last. Paris wasn't the one doing the killing. It was… Erebos."

As soon as she said that name, the lights dimmed. A chill rushed through the room. So that was who they were assuming was behind all of this… Erebos, the primordial being of darkness. I supposed that made sense. It fit with what little we knew about who Paris was working with.

"Maia, why don't you sit down?" I said, glancing over at where she was still standing. "Vince and Claudia may still be a little while."

She scowled, before walking over to plop down on the opposite end of the couch from Lee, closer to the fireplace. I was trying to appear not _too_ affected by this situation, but now seeing Penelope's half-sister… made it even more difficult to keep my cool.

Somewhere out there, Paris had my friend, like the original Paris had Helen. Who knew what he was doing to her. If this was going to be anything like the first Trojan War… I didn't even want to think about it. The Greeks hadn't been _innocent_ in that, no matter what they said. They stole Troy's women, made them… _sex slaves_. Achilles himself had one such slave—Briseis—but the stories claimed that he eventually loved her like a wife. I just hoped our Achilles didn't have any plans to pull that shit. I would kick his ass.

But finally, right as Chiron, who seemed to have been taking his sweet time with refreshments, came out, the door opened and Vince and Claudia rushed inside. Vince slammed the door shut before anyone could really get blasted by the cold, wet air.

"Holy shit, it's INSANE out there!" Vince exclaimed, not having noticed the centaur in the wheelchair.

"Mr. Soldati, please mind your language," Chiron said dryly as he wheeled himself further into the room, a variety of snacks sitting on the blanket he covered his lap with.

"Er… right." Vince winced. "Sorry, Chiron."

I stood up, relieved that my two friends had finally arrived. Vince and Claudia removed their coats, but didn't look much better off from how badly the pouring rain soaked them. Vince must have noticed that Eleni had a blanket, because he grabbed another one and turned to Claudia with a cheeky grin.

"Wanna share?" he asked. "It'll get us warmed up faster."

Claudia rolled her eyes. "If you insist."

"Oh, I do."

I let out an exasperated sigh. "Are you two lovebirds done over there? We need to start the meeting."

Claudia's eyes widened slightly, a bit taken aback by my sourness. "My apologies, Aeneas. Let us begin immediately."

A couple minutes later, everyone had finally gathered in the living room. We decided to all just sit on the floor, forming a circle in front of the fireplace, with the snacks spread out in the middle. There were chocolate chip cookies, crackers, Cheez Whiz, and Diet Coke, which Chiron had asked Vince to get from the fridge in the kitchen for him. But nobody seemed to really be _hungry_.

"So, uh…" Vince hesitated, like he didn't want to state the obvious. "Paris kidnapped Penelope?"

I nodded grimly. "Libby sent me an Iris message as soon as it happened. She and Penelope got separated from the other Hunters. She got badly hurt, but should be okay. But Paris took Penelope."

Lee frowned. "In the myths, Penelope was Odysseus's wife… Isn't that a little off? I thought all he cared about was mimicking the Trojan War as much as possible."

"I thought so, too," I sighed. "But Paris… He was in love with Penelope, when we were kids, before she joined the Hunters. It makes more sense for him to go after her, rather than Eleni, who despite being our 'Helen', he barely knows."

"But dude," Vince said with a frown, "the original Paris didn't even know Helen."

"How the hell am I supposed to know what's going on in his head?" I demanded with frustration. "Maybe he just chose Penelope because she can't escape as easily. Eleni has shadow travel. She wouldn't be easy to hold captive."

"That's a good point," Eleni sighed. "I'm so sorry… It really should've been me."

"Yeah, it should have," Maia spat, glowering at her. "Everything would've been fine if _you_ hadn't come here!"

I don't think I would ever be able to forget the heartbroken look on Eleni's face—the way her eyes widened and her bottom lip quivered. It was painful to see.

"Maia! That was uncalled for," Chiron reprimanded.

She scowled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Just speaking the truth… You can't tell me _I'm_ the only one who feels that way!"

Silence fell in the room. No one said a word. No one agreed with or denied her words. And it was obvious that that only made Eleni feel worse. She tucked in her chin, trying to hide in her blanket. I wished there was something I could do to make her feel better, but… I wasn't even sitting next to her.

"Maia, that's enough," Chiron rebuked. "If you cannot remain civil, you will have to leave."

She glowered darkly, but didn't budge an inch. "Fine…"

Claudia cleared her throat. "Returning to the topic at hand… If Paris has indeed kidnapped Penelope, we will have to get her back. Artemis must have taken great offense, not just Poseidon. And we will need both of them on our side if this turns into an all-out war."

Lee sighed. "This really is turning out to be another Trojan War… The gods picked sides then, too."

"…There's nothing we can do about it," I stated reluctantly.

"Since when are you complaining?" Eleni asked, giving him an icy glare. "Last time I checked, you were ready to embrace being Achilles and everything it means."

He scowled. "I'm not complaining. I'm just stating the facts."

Jeez… They were at each other's throats. What the hell happened? Did I even want to know?

"Maybe we should ask the Oracle," Vince suggested quickly, much to my relief. "To see if this is meant to be a quest or not."

"That's a great idea," I agreed. "What do you think, Chiron?"

The centaur nodded. "I shall call Rachel down. We don't have a moment to waste."

* * *

While we waited for Rachel to arrive, I slipped into the rec room to get away from everyone and clear my head. I pulled up a chair and sat at the ping pong table that they usually used for council meetings. Sighing, I propped my elbows up on the table and ran my hands through my hair, messing it up even further. Normally that would bother me, but at this point, I didn't care. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. As long as one of my best friends was in danger…

I didn't need to look up at the sound of a chair scraping against the floor to see who it was. There was only one person who dared talk to me when I was like this these days.

"How you doing, man?" Vince asked.

I sighed heavily. "I don't know."

It was true. _I had no idea_.

I had been in a leadership position for so long, I had grown used to not showing what bothered me. I had to have it together, or those who relied on me wouldn't know what to do. A leader had to be strong, because everyone looked to them for guidance. I had to remain calm and rational, while everyone else could have reactions like Maia. It was my responsibility. I had to be strong for those of us who couldn't.

But that never left room for taking care of myself. That's why I needed Vince. Yeah, I had helped him get through shit when he came out as trans, but… in the end, he was the one who helped me more. His family had eventually accepted him for who he was after a few years. But my issues with my father still persisted. His reaction to me "betraying" Rome by siding with the Greeks had been weighing upon me heavily. I had not been there to see it, but I could guess how he would feel about it.

"Penelope's tough," Vince said, obviously trying to be reassuring. "I'm sure she'll hang in there."

"I know she can hang in there…" I muttered, looking up. "I'm more concerned about what Paris will do to her. He's lost his mind."

He grimaced. "There _is_ that…"

It was a long story—one I didn't like to think about.

Vince and I joined Camp Jupiter when we were ten years old, after staying at the Wolf House, which was tradition. That was when we first met Paris. He was introduced as Hector's little brother, who had been twelve at the time. This was back when Vince was still _Vanessa_ —his birth name. We all got along pretty well, but Vince didn't care for Paris much. So I ended up becoming friends with him more so than Vince.

But then, two years later, Penelope arrived. She was the first child of Poseidon they had gotten at Camp Half-Blood since Percy Jackson. And Paris was smitten with her from the moment he saw her. It was during the annual get together when she arrived, so I saw. She was the only camper who had the guts to not put up with Paris's shit, and I think that was part of the reason why he liked her. The three of us quickly became friends. Vince became friends with Penelope, too, so he understood my pain.

Paris, Penelope, and I went on a few quests together. The first was to slay a hydra that was terrorizing a town, given to Paris by Zeus. The second was to retrieve Psyche's vase, given to me by my mother. The third was slay a sea monster, given to Penelope by Poseidon. Those were the most memorable ones. These quests were how we became close friends. But even that was meant to come to an end.

Two years ago, when we were fifteen, Penelope… confided in me. She told me that Paris had begun to make advances towards her, and nothing she said would make him stop. She didn't see him as anything more than a friend, but he wasn't listening. She asked me to talk to him about it, which I did, but it only seemed to make him angry at me. He accused me of wanting her for myself, which was far from the truth. Penelope was like a sister to me, nothing more. It was then that she decided to join the Hunters of Artemis. She had more reasons for that than just to get away from Paris, but I had sworn on the River Styx never to say a word about it.

"I have no idea what's wrong with him," I mumbled. "He hasn't been the same since Penelope rejected him and joined the Hunters."

Vince shrugged. "Some guys just can't take no for an answer. They think they're entitled."

"I know. And it's disgusting." I shook my head. "I still can't believe he thought Penelope and I were a thing."

"Well…" Vince tilted his head to the side. "You _are_ the son of a love goddess."

I glowered at him. "Venus is more to Rome than that."

"Yeah, but Paris is _Greek_ ," Vince said. "Which makes this whole Troy thing make even less sense."

"Paris always did say he should have been born a Roman," I sighed. "Because Hector is Roman. Because most of his friends were Roman."

He frowned. "I don't know if I should feel sorry for the guy or not."

"Me either."

Vince was quiet for a moment, before smirking playfully and leaning back in his seat. "Though, I don't see why he was so worried about you and Penelope. If you were best friends, he should've figured out what your type is."

I scowled at him. "Shut up."

"I mean, Penelope's cute," he continued, ignoring my glare, "but she doesn't instill the strong desire to protect her, does she? Unlike a certain someone. Though that certain someone could probably easily kill us if she really wanted to…"

I glowered harder. "Shut _up_ , Vince."

He gave a shrug. "Just stating the truth, dude. I never thought I'd see the day where Aeneas Belrose actually likes a girl, but here we are."

I sighed heavily. "This is another thing you're not going to let go, huh?"

He grinned. "Nope. Come on, enough of the doom and gloom. We've gotta keep morale high."

"And this somehow means we talk about cute girls…" I summarized slowly.

"We need both our praetors happy and healthy," Vince stated matter-of-factly. "Having a girlfriend really helps in that department."

"You would know," I grumbled, thinking about how he and Claudia were indeed dating.

"Yeah… but seriously, man, you need to get moving," Vince said, suddenly sober. "Just ask her to hang out or something."

"I tried that already," I told him. "And the answer was no."

His eyes widened with surprise. "Whoa, really?"

"Yes, really." I sighed. "There's no point, Vince. There's only one thing I'm good at, and that's fighting."

My father would prefer that anyway. That's all he cared about—that I rose in the ranks of Camp Jupiter, just like he did when he was a kid. Being the son of a famous legacy was just as difficult as being named after the founder of the Roman Empire.

"Aeneas… don't say that." Vince frowned. "You're good at a lot of other things."

"Like what?" I scoffed.

"Like…" He leaned forward. "You're so good at looking out for everyone, making sure they're taking care of themselves. Like how you took Katoptris from Eleni. You take care of _everyone_ , Aeneas, to the point where you forget about yourself. You've been a better dad to me than my own dad."

"…I guess." I leaned back in my chair. "Like it does me any good now."

Vince sighed. "C'mon, man. Cheer up. It could be so much worse right now."

I supposed he was right… It was just hard to see it that way. It was hard to see _anything_ in a positive light right now.

"Let's not talk about this anymore," I said. "I don't really want to think about it."

"All right, all right," Vince sighed. "So, uh…"

* * *

We continued to talk about minuscule things, until Eleni finally came back to tell us that Rachel was here. Much to my surprise, she had brought with her steaming cups of hot chocolate, for each of us. I accepted mine with gratitude, and thanked her, before sitting down with Vince. The atmosphere was still heavy, with the rain still pounding on the roof and thunder booming in the distance. I think all of us were content to just sit here, sipping our hot chocolate, before addressing the problem at hand.

But then, out of nowhere, something seemed to overcome Rachel. Her mouth opened, and eerie green mist poured out, filling the entire room. We all froze. This… was the Oracle, wasn't it? I already understood why we Romans respected the Oracle of Delphi, despite it being Greek.

 _"I am the spirit of Delphi,"_ Rachel said, though it didn't quite… _sound_ like her. _"Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python."_

Chills ran down my spine as she looked at each and every one of us, gazing at us like we were far, far away, until finally her eyes landed on Maia. _"Approach, Seeker, and ask."_

Maia's sea green eyes widened in shock, which probably matched the look on everyone's faces. Of all the demigods to choose… it was _her?_ I knew she was Penelope's half-sister, but… she had never been on a quest before! Not to mention, she didn't even _try_ to get along with people.

Maia hesitated. "How… How can I save my sister?"

Rachel opened her mouth again, and more green mist poured out. This time, it formed images, showing a girl who was unmistakably Penelope, sitting on what looked like a fancy canopy bed, her face pressed into her hands, shoulders shaking, like she was wracking with sobs. She looked utterly miserable, but at least Paris was nowhere to be seen. But then Rachel spoke:

 _"Five shall journey west,_

 _To confront the ones who know them best._

 _A prize has been won,_

 _But the victor is none._

 _Follow the trail of a forgotten past,_

 _To see the truth at last."_

As soon as she finished speaking, the green mist flowed back into Rachel's mouth, and she seemed to snap out of whatever trance she had been in. We all just sort of stared at her, unsure of what to say. Did this… happen often? Thank the gods Aurelia didn't get her prophecies like this.

Maia's hands had clenched into fists. "We've got the prophecy now. I _have_ to go!"

"It was given to you, so naturally, you are the leader, Maia," Chiron said reassuringly, though he didn't sound too thrilled about it.

"I have to go," I said, drawing everyone's attention to me. "Penelope is my friend. And Paris was my friend once, too. You'll want me along, Maia."

"Aeneas is a wise choice," Chiron agreed.

She nodded. "Okay, you're in." She looked around the room, before her gaze landed on Vince. "The prophecy mentioned a past life…"

All the color drained from Vince's face. "You… You don't want to follow the path of my past life. I don't think I'm the one it's talking about."

I couldn't help but grimace. He was right. He was so right.

"Then who could it be?" Claudia asked, frowning in confusion.

"Um…" Eleni hesitated. "Maybe it's… me?"

We all turned to look at her. This was news. I hadn't ever considered that she could have been reincarnated. I wondered who she possibly could be, to have her path retraced… I guess there was a lot more to her that I didn't know after all.

Maia scowled. "Fine, whatever. You can come too."

"You need two others, then," Lee said, frowning thoughtfully. "I'd like to-"

But he was cut off as Riley came bursting through the front door, making almost all of us jump in surprise.

"Chiron! Everybody! You have to hurry!" he exclaimed. "The Hunters of Artemis are here!"

* * *

 **Hey, everyone! Early update here, but I just wanted to say, please don't pester me about updates. Writing takes time, and this is not my only project. Getting reviews begging me to update ASAP does nothing but make me NOT want to update. Please understand that I have a life outside of writing, and this is not the only thing I'm working on. I'm really glad you love this story, but I'm only human and cannot write as quickly as you want me to. Thank you for understanding.**


	15. I Play Tag With a Skeleton

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 15: I PLAY TAG WITH A SKELETON**

* * *

 **ELENI**

* * *

 _Saturday, August 6th, 2033._

* * *

Camp was throw into chaos when the Hunters arrived. Chiron made us stay in the Big House, but I didn't need to be outside to know what was going on. Riley started going on and on about how cool the Hunters of Artemis were even though they hated guys. I was a bit confused about what was going on but I could tell that Maia was really _not_ happy about this turn of events. We just waited in the rec room alone, since Rachel had left with Chiron. I wasn't sure how long we sat there, but I was fidgeting in my seat and playing with the hem of my sweater.

But finally, they came back, along with one other person I had never seen before but felt like I knew anyways. Lee seemed relieved, the way he stood up from his chair.

"Thalia!" he exclaimed. "Gods, it's good to see you."

The girl looked around fifteen or sixteen. I wasn't sure which. She had short, spiky black hair that immediately made me think of a punk, freckles splashed across her nose, and the same striking electric blue eyes that Lee, Paris, and Hector have. She was dressed like a Hunter—in a silvery parka and matching camouflage pants, but she wore a silver tiara along with that.

 _Thalia_ … That name was familiar. I had heard it before somewhere. And not from Greek mythology.

"Considering the circumstances…" She managed a slight smile. "It's good to see you too, Lee." She looked around the room, at each of us, her gaze lingering on me for a moment as I tried not to stare. "I'll cut right to the chase. Artemis has gone up to Olympus to speak with Zeus about what happened with Penelope. She sent us here to stay here in safety for the meantime. But she also said if we find any leads, go after them. Chiron told me you got a prophecy, Maia."

Maia stiffened, scowling. "Yeah. To rescue Penelope. We already decided that Aeneas and Eleni are coming."

"Eleni?" she repeated, before looking at me. "Oh, that must be you."

"U-Um, yes…" I said nervously, struggling to find my words more than usual.

"This is Eleni Spiros," Chiron introduced as he wheeled himself further into the room, followed by Rachel, saving me from my anxiety. "She is the daughter of Hades, and just came to us in June."

The girl frowned. "Hades, huh? That's a first. Well, let me introduce myself. I'm Thalia Grace, Artemis's lieutenant. I used to be a camper here. I'm the daughter of Zeus."

My eyes widened. Another child of the Big Three? I don't know why I was surprised. Zeus was notorious for not keeping it in his pants. Though she did share a surname with Jason… I wondered if they were related, other than having the same father.

"Oh, um… it's nice to meet you, Thalia," I said. "Penelope… She invited me to join the Hunters."

Thalia laughed, a smile tugging on her lips. "Of course she did. That's what we do. But we'll have to save that discussion for later. We can't waste any more time."

"Agreed," Aeneas said. "This quest requires five members. So far there's Maia, Eleni, and me."

"I was about to volunteer," Lee began, "but if you're here, Thalia, you should probably go. You're a Hunter, and you've been on a rescue mission before."

Thalia stiffened. "I… see your reasoning. Please tell me the prophecy didn't say anyone would die."

"It didn't," Rachel said quietly. She had sat back down at the ping pong table, with Chiron. "But it did mention something about retracing the steps of a past life."

Maia scowled. "I _still_ think it was talking about Vince."

Vince, who had been awfully quiet from where he was standing, sort of behind Claudia, immediately went rigid. "It's _not_ , Maia. For the love of the gods, you _don't_ want it to be mine."

I had never thought Vince could be scary. He seemed too cheerful for that. But the dark look he just gave Maia… sent chills down my spine. Whatever memories he had of his past life… They had to be horrible. The way he was standing there, looking so uncomfortable, like he wanted to jump into a hole and die… It made me realize maybe my flashbacks weren't so terrible after all.

Thalia frowned. "Why do you think—never mind, it's not important. But… there's already two kids of the Big Three on this quest. Adding me to this mix may not make things any better. And the last time I went on a quest with a daughter of Hades…" Her eyes flickered over to me. "It did not end well for her."

I don't know how, but I knew immediately who she was talking about.

"Bianca di Angelo," I said. "Nico mentioned she was a Hunter."

She grimaced. "Yeah… Bianca. She was only twelve. Younger than Percy. Younger than me."

"There was nothing you could have done, Thalia," Chiron said gently.

Twelve years old… Four years younger than I was now… It was weird thinking that. But it made sense, I guessed. I doubted every demigod here managed to live to their sixteenth birthday. I only survived because my dad had been looking out for me. I was lucky. So, so lucky…

"I know," she sighed. "But anyways… I might as well go, if that's _really_ okay with you, Lee."

Lee nodded, glancing down. "It's fine. I… would be more useful here."

Aka… he didn't want to travel with me.

It was probably obvious to everyone who knew us. I was still upset about what he had said the other day. He had made me feel so worthless, like I really should have been the one who had died, not Ray. I was grasping at straws here, wondering who was still my friend. How much longer would I have until someone else blamed me for something? Everything was a mess and I didn't know what to do. I just knew I had to help save Penelope.

"All right, I'm in, then," Thalia announced. "I'll bring another Hunter with me. Probably Acacia. I know she wants to save Penelope, and Libby is healing."

"It has been decided, then," Chiron stated. "Those of you who have been chosen, prepare to leave immediately. We don't have any moments to spare."

Yeah… it looked like I was going on _another_ quest. And without the one person I knew for certain I could rely on… even if we were having problems right now.

* * *

Chiron gave us an hour to pack our belongings before meeting up at the Big House again. I still did not have much to pack for the journey, so there wasn't a lot for me to do. But I spent the time thinking about everything that had happened. And with each item I packed… I couldn't help but think about Bianca di Angelo and how she died at only twelve years old, even if she was a Hunter of Artemis. I thought of how Ray died. I knew, deep down, just because the quest didn't specifically say someone would die… didn't mean we'd all come back alive. This was a _war_.

There was no time to see Nico and Hazel and say goodbye to them. There was only one person close enough I could say goodbye to… even if I was upset with him. I had to. If I, by some chance, died on this quest… there was more thing I had to tell him, other than goodbye.

It took every ounce of courage I had to psyche myself up for speaking with Lee. Butterflies were wreaking havoc in my stomach, and my hands were all sweaty. I made sure I had Goetia on my finger. Then all I had to do was put on my raincoat, slip the strap of my messenger bag up over my head and onto my shoulder, and walk out of my cabin. I didn't even bother looking around one last time, like I had done when leaving on my first quest.

I stepped outside, expecting a torrential downpour. But the rain had stopped. Glancing up at the sky, I saw that it was stilled filled with dark storm clouds. At least it had let up… That made me feel a little better. My relief was short-lived, however, because lightning lit up the sky, making me flinch. Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I headed over to Cabin One. Thank the gods no one was around to see me. I didn't want to get yelled at for breaking the rules.

Stopping in front of Zeus's cabin, I hesitated. He had to be in here, right? Where else would he be?

Steeling my courage, I reached out to open the door, and cautiously peeked inside. "Lee?"

Much to my relief, he _was_ inside, sitting in his corner. He looked up at the sound of his name. "Eleni?"

I stepped into the cabin, closing the door behind me. "I, um… wanted to say goodbye."

He stood up slowly, and walked over to me. For a moment, we both just stood there, looking at each other, unsure of what to say. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I still felt queasy from nerves. I knew if I looked away, I'd chicken out. Part of me wondered if that was the better idea.

"…I thought you were angry with me," he said quietly, finally breaking the silence and looking down at the floor.

"I…" I bit my bottom lip. "Your words… hurt my feelings, Lee. I know I'll never be Ray… I'm not _trying_ to be. But I'm still your friend, and… I've been hurting too. Ray saved my life. He was my friend, too. Every day, I… I think about what would have happened if he wasn't there. It should have been me."

Lee's expression darkened as he looked back up. "Don't say that. Just _don't_."

His sudden aggression caught me off guard, and my eyes widened. "S-Say what?"

"I don't want to hear you say it should've been you again." His voice was as hard as steel, and his eyes matched. "If it really should have, you would've died. But Fate decided it wasn't your time yet. As much as I hate to admit it… it was Ray's destiny to die that day. At least he got a hero's death."

It was strange… seeing how much he had changed in just one day. Yesterday, he had been ready to curse the Fates for taking Ray away from him too soon. We… all had too much time to think. Lee was changing. The boy I had first met on my birthday… He was long gone.

"So you're… not mad at me?" I asked hesitantly.

The steeliness melted away, and he gave me an incredulous look reminiscent of the boy I once knew. "Mad at you? Gods, no. I could never be mad at you, Eleni."

Chewing on my bottom lip, I glanced down at my feet. "I thought that was why you wanted Thalia to go on the quest instead…"

"No way." He shook his head. "I wanted her to go because she's better suited. Penelope is more like a sister to her than to me. She and Acacia need to help rescue her."

I didn't respond right away, letting that sink in. _Thank the gods_. I had been so worried he hated me because of Ray dying to protect me. I had been positive that was the case the first week after his death, with how he didn't want to see _anyone_. I felt so relieved.

My hands clenched into fists at my side, my heart racing faster as I realized this was the perfect moment. My legs felt shaky, almost like Jell-O. It was now or never. I could do this. I could _totally_ do this.

"Lee, I…" I looked up a bit too quickly, and felt my face flush. "There's… something I need to tell you."

His eyebrows raised in surprise. "What is it?"

"I… I know it hasn't been very long… since we met, or since… Ray's death…" I clutched the bottoms of my sleeves, as my sweater was underneath my raincoat. "B-But…"

He frowned. "But what?"

"I… I…" The words came rushing out of my mouth, almost blurting. "I really like you."

Lee just stared at me for a moment, unblinking. At first, I don't think he understood what I meant by _like_. But then… it must have sunk in, because his eyes widened, and his mouth opened like he was going to say something, only to shut again. Neither of us said a word. We both sort of just stood there, probably awkwardly. At least that was how I felt… as my heart began to slowly sink deeper and deeper into my chest as I anticipated his response.

"Eleni, I…" Lee sighed heavily, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry, but… I don't feel the same. You're a great friend, someone who I haven't been the best friend back to, but… that's all."

I might as well have been stabbed in the heart.

"Oh." It came at me like a rush, a wave of heat and anxiety. I felt like a robot, reacting mechanically, on reflex. "Of course. I'm sorry to have bothered you."

And before he could respond, I turned around, rushed out of the cabin, and hurried to meet up with my quest companions.

* * *

It was obvious that we had no idea where we were going.

We were loaned the camp van, and Aeneas declared himself driver since he actually had his license. Maia claimed shotgun, which was no surprise. She didn't want to be anywhere near me or the two Hunters. But Thalia and Acacia didn't seem to care too much. I just grabbed one of the window seats, buckled in, and stared out the window so I didn't have to talk to anyone.

I vaguely registered what was going on. Aeneas, Maia, and Thalia were discussing where we should go, albeit a bit heatedly as Maia was continuing to be a bitch. Meanwhile Acacia appeared content to remain silent where she was sitting on the other side of Thalia.

"Camp Jupiter is the only place I can think of," Aeneas was saying. "Where else would Paris take her? In the image we saw, there was this really fancy canopy bed—definitely not something you'd find in camp. So maybe she's being kept in New Rome."

"That doesn't give me bad vibes at all," Thalia muttered. "Well, looks like we're heading to San Francisco. I think I know what path we need to follow."

This caught my attention. Sitting up straight, I looked over at her. "What path?"

Thalia hesitated. "The quest to save Artemis. First we need to go to the National Air and Space Museum in D.C."

Maia scowled. "Isn't that _more_ of a detour? We need to go straight to the west!"

Acacia bristled, and spoke up for the first time since we got in the van. "Your prophecy stated we must follow the path of a past life. That is merely what we are doing here."

"Okay, there's no need to argue over this," Aeneas stated slowly and carefully, like he was purposefully trying to avoid slipping into charmspeak, even though he was _obviously_ getting frustrated with his fellow Roman. "We're wasting more time talking. D.C. it is."

Before she could protest anymore, Aeneas started the van and we were off.

Aeneas proved to be an excellent driver, which seemed to relieve Thalia. But once we started moving, a heavy silence fell inside the van. I was content to look out the window, watching the scenery go by. Nothing particularly noteworthy happened, until halfway through the drive when Thalia made us take a break at a gas station. It was about four in the afternoon at this point.

"Acacia and I will handle the gas," Thalia said as we all climbed out of the van. "You three should go inside, get some candy or something."

I wasn't sure why two people were needed to get gas, but Acacia seemed the least friendly towards Aeneas, so I could sort of understand her reasoning with that. But honestly… sweets sounded like a great idea right now. And maybe something warm to drink, because of the chill in the air. We were in Jersey, but the bad weather seemed to continue on for forever. I was glad it still wasn't raining, but every now and then there'd be a flash of lightning, followed by a boom of thunder, and it scared the crap out of me every time.

However, Maia didn't seem too keen on the idea. Scowling, she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'll stay in the van. _They_ can go inside if they want." With that, she slipped right back into the van.

Ugh… could she _not_ be a brat? Gods.

"Suit yourself," Aeneas said. "Come on, Eleni."

I nodded, and followed him towards the convenience store. A little bell jingled as Aeneas opened the door, holding it out for me. I stepped inside, welcoming the rush of warn air, and glanced around quickly. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There was just the clerk behind the front counter, looking bored out of his mind, and group of men wearing military fatigues.

"I could use some chocolate," I said, looking over at Aeneas. "Maybe some coffee, too. What about you?"

"Uh, just a water would be nice," he answered.

"…Boring," I muttered. "Are you a health freak?"

"No," he snorted. "I just like taking care of myself."

I rolled my eyes at him, before heading off to find the candy aisle. Aeneas followed me after glancing over at the military guys again, frowning for some reason, like they puzzled him. Once I found the aisle, I walked down it, looking at all the various candy and wondering what I was craving right now. Whatever would cheer me up the most after Lee's rejection… Pure chocolate, or maybe chocolate with peanut butter… Crap, what if someone had a peanut allergy? Okay, maybe just a Hershey bar-

"…Hey," Aeneas said, catching my attention. "Are you doing okay? You've seen more down than usual since we started this quest."

Looking up at him, my eyes widened in surprise that he even noticed. Or maybe I just didn't realize how obvious it was… It was probably the latter. I was out of it today.

"It's… It's nothing," I said, looking back down at the candy.

"Eleni…" He sighed. "Look… I know this group probably isn't what you wanted for a quest. But we have to trust each other."

Again, I looked up at him in surprise. "I… I _do_ trust you, Aeneas. And I'm fine with Thalia and Acacia. Maia is… difficult. It's just…" I sighed, clenching my hands into fists as I felt so stupid. "Before we left, I… I confessed to Lee. I told him how I felt. And he didn't feel the same." I stared down at the chocolate again, wondering just how ridiculous I must sound to him, the son of the _love_ goddess. "I was an idiot to think he'd like me."

I wasn't sure how I expected him to respond, but this wasn't it.

"It's his loss, then," Aeneas stated, his voice surprisingly cool. "You're beautiful person, both inside and out. Anyone would be lucky to be with you."

That _really_ wasn't what I expected.

"Oh, um…" I felt my cheeks burst into flames. Gods… Aeneas could really be charming when he wanted to be. "Th-Thank you…"

Aeneas's eyes widened and his own cheeks tinted pink. "Shit, did I say that out loud?"

"Um… yes."

"Gods…" He pressed a hand to his forehead. "I'm so sorry—I'm not trying to come onto you or anything, I swear. It's just—I just— _fuck_."

I never thought I'd see the day that Aeneas Belrose was reduced to a stuttering mess. He always seemed so cool and collected, like he had everything under control. Claudia was the same way. I think that was what made them such great leaders. It made everyone want to turn to them for help. That was why it was so easy for me to confide in him. I felt like he'd have my back, no matter what.

But… seeing him get flustered like this, blushing even more… It made him seem more real—more _human_. Aeneas was certainly _notorious_ for being considered the best-looking son of Aphrodite/Venus, something I was pretty sure he hated, but right now… He was cuter more than anything else. My heart gave a squeeze for some reason—probably from nerves.

Somehow, I managed a small smile. "It's okay, Aeneas. It didn't come off that way."

He let out a sigh of relief, reaching up to rub the back of his head. "All right, if you're sure… We should hurry up, though, before Maia throws a temper tantrum."

The thought of her quickly replaced the fuzzy feelings with annoyance. I opened my mouth to respond, but never got the chance. Those military guys came down our aisle, and one of them bumped into me. As I was almost shoved into the rack, there was a ripping sound as he tore a chunk off the sleeve of my raincoat.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, completely astonished.

But then I got a good look at the guy… and I was pretty sure all the color drained from my face as I was hit by an intense wave of déjà vu. I… I had seen these men before. There were only four of them here, but… there were more. At least twelve. I wasn't sure how I knew this. They had gray skin that shimmered with translucency, revealing their skeletons underneath, and yellow eyes—nothing like creepy skeleton monsters you'd see in movies. I realized they were armed with guns.

"Shit," Aeneas breathed, pale as a sheet. "Spartus. _Run!_ "

I wasn't quite sure what he called them, other than it sounding like _Sparta_ , but I didn't care. I grabbed his hand and bolted, barely avoiding being outright grabbed. Shots fired before we could get out the door, but we weren't hit. I heard the clerk scream and all I had time for was to hope he hadn't gotten shot. We came tearing out of the store, proceeding to scare the crap out of our friends and every mortal in the vicinity.

"We have to get out of here!" Aeneas shouted, letting go of my hand once we reached the van. "Spartus-"

Seeing two of them come out of the convenience store and aiming their guns, I quickly put up my hands. Darkness darted from the shadows casted by the overcast sky, forming a thin wall that was good enough to shield us from the gunfire. There was more screaming as mortals ran for cover, probably seeing mad gunmen instead of skeleton monsters.

"Everyone in the van, now!" Thalia barked, now holding a silver bow that had materialized out of nowhere, just like Acacia.

"But what about the people?!" I demanded, even as I felt my wall weakening as the skeletons continued firing at us.

"The Spartus—skeleton warriors—got Eleni's scent, Thalia," Aeneas said grimly. "Even if we run, they'll find us. But Eleni is a daughter of Hades—she has the power to kill them."

My eyes widened. "I do?"

Thalia's lips pressed into a hard line. "Yeah, but we're out in the open here. We need to fight them somewhere more secluded. So everyone get in the van!"

She had a point, but everyone still outside hesitated. I felt the shadow wall begin to give.

"Hurry!" I snapped with frustration. "I can't keep this up much longer!"

That got them out of their reluctance. Thalia and Acacia hopped inside the front, their bows disappearing. Aeneas grabbed my hand and yanked me out of the way just as the wall of darkness shattered. The back doors of the van burst open, revealing Maia as the engine began to rev.

"Get in, dammit!"

Aeneas pulled me with him and we jumped inside just as another volley of gunshots fired. I scrambled further into the van as they hastily slammed the doors shut behind us. Thalia must have slammed her foot on the gas pedal, because we sped off onto the street, and swerved so hard we all crashed into the wall. I winced as pain shot through my shoulder from the impact.

"Gods…" Aeneas leaned up against the side of the van. "Who the hell summoned Spartus?"

"…Paris." I spat his name like a curse. "He would so do something like this."

Maia scowled. "Asshole… At least we have a way to fucking _kill_ those bastards."

She really did swear too much…

"They'll find us again eventually," Thalia said grimly. "We need to be prepared for that."

"I do not like being hunted," Acacia muttered.

Aeneas looked over at me. "We'll be relying on you for this, Eleni. Only you can kill them."

I nodded, trying not to show just how much that scared me. "I've got this."

At least… that was what I was telling myself.


	16. Maia Doesn't Play Well With Others

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 16: MAIA DOESN'T PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS**

* * *

 **MAIA**

* * *

 _Saturday, August 6th, 2033._

* * *

We eventually decided to rent a room at a motel. Acacia made a big deal over having to share a room with a boy, but Thalia didn't give her any other choice. I didn't really care, as long as she shut the hell up. Aeneas wasn't so bad for a guy. They could've been stuck with someone much worse. She was just being a whiny baby. I swear to the gods, the Hunters were so annoying. I was happy to just sit on one of the beds and mind my own business, checking my gear.

We were lucky enough to snag a room with four beds. Thalia and Acacia were fine with sharing, which meant the rest of us could have one to ourselves. No one really said anything. The two Hunters talked among themselves, and Aeneas and Eleni were quiet as they sat on their own beds. I didn't feel like talking to anybody, anyways. The only person I had no issue with being on this quest was Aeneas.

Nobody understood why saving Penelope was important to me. Probably not even Penelope herself.

After I lost my mom… I was shipped off to live with her cousin, Amalia Guerrero, who was Claudia's mom. She was also in the Air Force. I guessed that's what caught Mars's attention. I have no idea what drew Neptune to my mom. She never really talked about him, and that was fine by me. We never needed him. Not once. That is, until she died.

Aunt Amalia wasn't terrible to me. She was the complete opposite. And Claudia was like the big sister I never had. I wasn't _unhappy_. I just… missed my mom. I probably would've been fine, until monsters came and ruined everything. Claudia ended up saving the entire family and then Aunt Amalia decided it was about time that we moved to New Rome… and for me to go to Camp Jupiter. That was when everything went to shit.

I didn't fit in with the Romans. At all. Which is probably obvious as fuck.

My first few weeks at camp were horrible. I got in trouble constantly, because I wouldn't listen to my superiors. Claudia was always saving my neck, only to wring it later. She got pissed at me a lot. I don't really blame her. I'd get pissed at me, too. Long story short, I was bullied a lot and received disciplinary actions all the time. The only times I was ever happy was when we got to visit Camp Jupiter for the annual get together. That was how I met my half-sister, Penelope.

She was everything I wasn't—calm, collected, caring… I thought she was so cool. I wanted to be like her. Penelope was the big sister I had always wanted but never thought I'd ever have. Whenever the annual get together came around, I spent as much time with her as possible. And during the rest of the year, we wrote to each other. Penelope's mom was a marine biologist who lived in Florida. One time, during winter break, I got to visit them in Miami. Her mom treated me like her own daughter. That was the closest I had gotten to feeling like I had a real family since my mom's death.

Penelope told me about her friends all the time. I heard nothing but good things about them. I already sort of knew Aeneas from Camp Jupiter, but hearing about him from her made him into more of a real person than the image everyone idolized back at camp. I hold great respect for Aeneas, and I knew I could trust him on this quest. I heard good things about Paris, too, up to a certain point.

And that point was when he wouldn't leave her alone.

Basically, he confessed to her, and wouldn't take no for an answer. He kept on pursuing her, to the point where she started to become scared of him. It got so bad, she turned to Aeneas for help. When that didn't help—it actually made things _worse_ —she decided to become a Hunter of Artemis. I understood why she joined them, but… it felt like I was being left behind again. And I've never really gotten over that. I loved my sister, but… I didn't even know her anymore. It's been too long.

"Hey."

I looked up from polishing my gladius out of habit to see Aeneas standing by the side of my bed.

"Do you have a moment?" he asked. "We need to talk."

"…Sure," I muttered, knowing with him it was more like a _command_ than an _inquiry_.

I set down my sword, and hopped off the bed. After Aeneas told the others we were going outside for a moment, we left the room, stepping out onto the porch that wrapped around all of the front of the motel. The sun was just beginning to set, transforming the sky into a mottled mix of blues, purples, and pinks. It would have been a beautiful, soothing sight if I didn't feel like absolute shit.

"So," I said, turning to face him and crossing my arms over my chest. "What did you want to talk about?"

Aeneas looked me right in the eyes. "I need to know if you can handle this leadership position. Can you put aside your prejudices and focus on the task at hand?"

I scowled. "Are you _seriously_ asking me this?"

"Yes." He narrowed his eyes. "This is no joking matter, Maia. Penelope's life is at stake… among other things."

I scowled harder, knowing exactly what he meant. "If he touches her, I'll-"

"I do _not_ need a description of how you plan on torturing Paris," Aeneas intercepted before I could get any farther. He sighed, pressing a hand to his temple. "Look, I'm just as worried about her as you are. I trust Thalia and Acacia. Hunters or not, they're reliable. But I… I'm concerned about Eleni."

"What, you too?" I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "That girl's a walking disaster."

"Have you looked in the mirror lately?" he countered.

I bristled. "I'm _not_ a disaster! _I_ didn't cause anyone to die!"

"I'm _not_ arguing with you about this," Aeneas snapped, shaking his head and dropping his hand. "You may have been elected leader of this quest, Maia, but I'm still praetor. If you can't prove that you can handle this—and treat _everyone_ properly—you're _not_ going to be the one who's leading this group. Quests are a team effort. They're not solo missions."

I just continued to glower at him. "…Fine, whatever."

He sighed heavily. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah."

"I'll take that as a no." He sighed again, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Well, I tried. _Without_ using charmspeak."

"You get a gold star," I said sarcastically.

Aeneas gave me a withering look. "Do you respect _any_ authority figures?"

"I respect my cousin," I said.

"Better than nothing, I guess," he muttered. "Let's go back inside."

I didn't argue. I just followed him back inside our room. I returned to my bed to continue polishing my gladius. The repetitive motion helped calm my emotions. I think it was from being a legacy of Hephaestus, but keeping my hands busy working on something helped me stay calm. And I've always been a… hothead. I needed this outlet.

It was going to be a long first night of this quest.

* * *

 **RILEY**

* * *

 _Sunday, August 7th, 2033._

* * *

The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and I was playing in the strawberry fields.

Yep, the sun finally came out this morning, after Jupiter and Neptune finally stopped their fighting. Earlier today, I came out here with Demeter's cabin and the satyrs to help revive the crops after they were nearly drowned by all that rain. I had come back about ten minutes ago just to sit among the strawberry plants, and 'commune with nature.' Really, I was just sitting here and chilling. Everyone in camp was stressed out beyond belief.

I had been pretty shocked to find out that Paris kidnapped Penelope Seabrooke, a daughter of Poseidon and Hunter of Artemis. I also heard she used to be friends with him and Aeneas. I had no idea what was going on, but it was way over my head. I was happy to be a regular soldier. I had only recently moved up from being a _probatio_ , thanks to my mom, Ceres. But everyone was so busy preparing for war that no one really noticed that I was gone. I was fine with that.

I held my hand out to one of the strawberry plants, beckoning it to come to me. The leaves started reaching out to me, until I could grasp them like I was holding a hand. Sometimes… it felt like the plants were better friends to me than people.

"Hey, Riley!"

Hearing my name, I looked up to see none other than Cassie Harper making her way towards me. Huh, I wondered what she wanted. She didn't really talk to me unless she had to…

"Hey, Cassie!" I called to her cheerfully, waving. "What's up?"

She stopped by the edge of the strawberry patches, so she wouldn't trample over them. "Nothing in particular. Just… Chiron told me I've been working too hard, so I should take a break."

"Why did you come looking for me, then?" I asked, confused.

"Because nobody is better at slacking off than you are."

…Well, it wasn't a lie.

"You came to the right person, then!" I laughed. "Why don't you come on over and sit with the strawberries with me?"

She gave me a weird look. I just continued to smile up at her cheerfully. Finally, she let out an exasperated sigh, came over, and sat down next to me. Wow, that actually worked… Chiron really must have told her to go chill. It was kind of hard to believe this was actually happening. It felt kind of surreal. Though the entire 'Trojan War' situation felt surreal, honestly. It just was too crazy to believe, yet it was most definitely real. I mean, Paris kidnapped some girl named Penelope. He took it to a whole new level.

"What are you even doing here?" Cassie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm communing with nature," I told her. "The strawberries enjoy my company. The Demeter kids haven't been visiting them that often lately, so they've been getting lonely."

"…Right," Cassie said, looking a bit weirded out. "You… do realize how crazy that sounds, right?"

"Yep!" I exclaimed cheerfully.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "You're so weird."

"I consider it a gift," I declared. "Not that you're much better. You're a kid of Apollo but you're not much of a healer, are you?"

She stiffened. "I'm the best at archery in my cabin."

"So you're a fighter," I said, tilting my head to the side. "But you refuse to go on any quests."

She glowered at me. "That's none of your business."

"Jeez, someone's all prickly now," I snorted. "I was just making an observation."

She scowled, looking away from me, but didn't say anything else. Great… I made her mad. So much for trying to befriend Cassie Harper. I knew the other Apollo kids, even the ones from Camp Jupiter, were so much friendlier than her. Sometimes it was like she had a chip on her shoulder. I wondered what her deal was… What would make her not want to go on quests? Well, I'd probably never find out at this point. I wondered if anyone even knew.

"…Actually, maybe you can do me a favor." Cassie broke the silence, looking over at me again. "You're good at having fun, right?"

I nodded, wondering where this was going. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, Chiron also asked me to check up on Lee," she said. "He's been working himself to the bone, training all the time. We need to distract him somehow, get him to take a break so he doesn't kill himself from overexertion."

I frowned. "I'm not sure how helpful I can be with _Lee_ … I like girls."

Cassie gave me a flabbergasted look. "That's not what I meant! Gods, get your head out of the gutter." She pressed a hand to her forehead, and sighed. "Look, all you need to do is get him to slow down for five minutes. I don't care how. Just get him to breathe."

"I dunno…" I continued to frown. "You need to come with me. I don't really know Lee that well. _You're_ his friend. You know what things would make him feel better, not me."

She sighed again, lowering her hand. "When you say that… I may have an idea. I'm going to talk to him." Standing up, she looked back down at me. "Thanks for the help, Riley. See you around."

"Oh, um, no problem!" I called after her as she walked away, leaving me alone with the strawberries once again. "Well… that went smoothly." I sighed and looked down at the plants. "Though I don't feel very helpful…"

The strawberries swayed in the breeze, and I wasn't sure if they were agreeing or sympathizing with me. It was hard to tell with plants. It wasn't like they could talk. It wasn't like I was a son of Neptune and could talk to horses. Oh well, it wasn't _that_ big of a deal. Plants still made great friends. They really were better friends than people sometimes.

I decided to stay here for a little while longer, until it was lunchtime.

* * *

 **MAIA**

* * *

"Well, here we are," Thalia said.

We stood in front of the entrance to the Air and Space Museum. I really had no clue what this was about. Why the hell did this place matter? It was a waste of time; another day Penelope would be stuck with that piece of shit. But I knew bitching about it wouldn't change anything. So I just kept my mouth shut and dealt with it.

Eleni shifted nervously. "The Smithsonian? I've… never been here before, but it feels like I have."

"Déjà vu," Thalia said, looking over at her. "It could be from your past life."

"Great," Acacia deadpanned. "I think I know what you're talking about now, Thalia. I was a Hunter back then. I remember what happened."

Thalia nodded grimly. "Yeah."

Aeneas frowned. "I'm a little lost here…"

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to say until she remembers herself," Thalia sighed.

"Okay, fine, can we just get a move on already?" I demanded.

Eleni stiffened, her expression darkening. "Will you cut it out with the bad attitude? I'm _sorry_ we're not rushing to save Penelope immediately, but we have to follow the prophecy."

I glowered right back at her. "Shut _up_. You're the reason we're in this fucking mess in the first place. I can be as cranky as I want!"

Before anyone could say anything else, I stormed off, heading into the museum. They had no choice but to follow after me. The museum was mainly one huge room, with balconies everywhere, probably so you could look at the exhibits at different angles. It was relatively busy, as it was a Sunday in the middle of summer. There were mostly families milling around, with small children. Great, if we bumped into a monster here, there would be so many witnesses. Hopefully that wouldn't happen.

We walked further in as a group. Eleni looked around, taking in everything. I just kept on scowling, crossing my arms over my chest. Could this just be over with already? We had better things to be doing than chasing after a stupid past life. This was so pointless.

"…I sort of remember," Eleni said quietly. "We came here… following the trail of… someone. Or something? I don't know… but there was a fight. With a lion."

"The Nemean Lion?" Aeneas guessed.

She looked up at him, eyes widening. "How did you know?"

"There are only so many lions in Greek mythology," he stated dryly.

"That's true…" She blushed, like she felt stupid for not realizing that. "But someone killed it… a son of Poseidon?"

"Percy," Thalia answered. "Percy killed the Nemean lion. Well, Zoë and Bianca technically did, but his strategy won the battle and he got the pelt."

Eleni looked at her in shock. "You were there… on the quest?"

"I did mention the quest to save Artemis, didn't I?" Thalia said wryly. "Yeah, I was part of it. Before I became a Hunter. It was my last quest as a camper."

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I should've realized that… I've been out of it."

"No duh," I muttered.

She snapped out of it enough to glare at me again. "Seriously, Maia, _stop_."

"Why don't you _make_ me?" I countered. "You think you're so tough, just 'cause you've been on a quest? What a joke! You let someone _die_ for you."

Eleni stiffened, and opened her mouth to say something, but never got the chance.

"Okay, both of you, _knock_ it off," Aeneas snapped. "All five of us are here to save Penelope. That means we must work together, past our differences. If Hunters of Artemis can tolerate working with me, you two can do the same."

She recoiled, almost flinching at his reprimand, and wrapped her arms around herself. "S-Sorry…"

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," he said. "Come on, let's go. Thalia, you should lead the way."

The daughter of Zeus nodded. "I don't know what we're looking for here, but sure."

We ventured further into the museum, following Thalia's lead. I decided to keep my mouth shut and not complain. I was the leader, but I didn't want to be here. This was all them. I'd just have to deal with it and wait for them to be satisfied enough to move on. This seriously was such a waste of time. All I could think of was what my sister could be going through right now, while we're here, playing hide and go seek with memories. Ugh.

We didn't get very far, though, before there was a bloodcurdling bellow that was a weird ass mix of a scream and a moo—like some cow was trying to make a battle cry. We all froze as the bellow was followed by the sound of hooves clopping on the linoleum. We hesitantly looked towards the noise.

There, standing next to one of the rockets, was none other than the fucking _Minotaur_. A seven foot tall bullheaded man covered in dark brown fur, wearing nothing but white briefs. He was completely ripped, right down to a six pack, and seemed so wrong. The Minotaur stomped one of its hooved feet as mortals gathered their children and started screaming and running away.

Smart move. We weren't that smart.

Then it charged.


	17. I Finally Carry On

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 17: I FINALLY CARRY ON**

* * *

 **ELENI**

* * *

 _Sunday, August 7th, 2033._

* * *

You know, when I thought of what facing a legendary monster, I didn't expect the Minotaur to be wearing tighty-whiteys. That sort of ruined the intimidation factor, for me, at least. Seeing something so terrifying wearing something so _normal_ made it less scary. And seem a little silly. Though it charging at us was not silly at all.

"Scatter!" Aeneas barked, and we barely had time to get out of the way.

The Minotaur kept on going, until it rammed headfirst right into a wall. The wall shook on impact, the stone crumbling. I heard more screaming as the mortals continued to flee. Without thinking, I pulled off my ring, and Goetia's dark blade appeared in my hand. Glancing around, I saw that my friends had taken out their weapons as well. The Minotaur let out a bellow as it struggled against the wall; its horns were impaled in the stone, holding it in place. It pressed its beefy paws against the wall to add more force to trying to yank free.

"You know, I was kind of expecting the Nemean lion," Thalia said as she aimed an arrow at the bull man. "Not _this_."

"At least the Minotaur is easier to kill," Acacia said dryly, also aiming at the monster.

"Uh, guys, I hate to cut your party short, but the Minotaur isn't going to be stuck in the wall forever," Aeneas said. "We need a plan. Maia, you're the leader. What's the plan?"

"Plan?" she demanded. "I don't _have_ a plan!"

"Then you better come up with one quick," Aeneas said, shifting into a more battle appropriate stance. "It's breaking free!"

And just like he said, the Minotaur heaved itself out of the wall. Stone shards pelted the linoleum floor as it backed up, before turning around and letting out another bellow that made my head feel like it was splitting in two.

"Now!" Thalia shouted.

She and Acacia let arrows fly, which sunk into its thick flesh. But it seemed to do nothing to the Minotaur, other than to piss it off even more. It stomped one of its hooves, and lunged after them. The Hunters scattered, avoiding its attack with ease, but that left us scrambling to think of a way to kill the monster. Unsure what to do, I looked over at Aeneas and Maia.

"Maia, we need a plan, _now_ ," Aeneas snapped. "They can only distract it for so long."

"I'm working on it!" Maia retorted defensively. "Eleni, can you summon any zombies?"

I shook my head. "No, we're inside a building. I need access to the earth. I can try to blind it, but I don't know if I have enough shadow to work with in here."

Maia scowled, like that wasn't good enough. Well, _excuse_ me! She of all people had to understand that even though we were children of the Big Three, our powers had limits. And I still was getting used to the whole _fighting monsters_ thing. I hadn't grown up with it like they did.

"There's no time," Aeneas said. "Maia, you figure something out. Eleni, we need to help Thalia and Acacia."

I nodded in agreement. "Let's go."

We didn't wait for a response from her. We just hurried across the floor, to where Thalia and Acacia were continuously firing arrows and avoiding being pommeled by the Minotaur. Before we could get close enough, I noticed Thalia's arrow sparked, and the next thing I knew, the shot she fired was electrified. The arrow struck the Minotaur like lightning, and it roared in pain as it was blasted with electricity, staggering back a couple of feet. And yes… the stench of charred beef filled the room.

"Now, while it's stunned," Aeneas said. "We can flank it."

I wasn't quite sure what he meant by that, until I saw him dart up to the giant bull man. Brandishing his imperial gold spatha, he slashed at the Minotaur's leg. It roared in pain as it staggered again, reaching down to swipe at Aeneas's head. But he ducked, swiftly avoiding being clobbered by a meaty paw. More arrows peppered it on the other side, distracting it, which allowed Aeneas to make a second laceration.

Holy crap… I had heard Aeneas was one of the best fighters in all of Camp Jupiter, but now that I was seeing it for myself… I couldn't help but watch in awe.

Wait… what was I doing? I needed to focus!

I hurried over to the other side of the Minotaur, leaving a wide berth between us as I ran around it. Focusing my mind, I summoned darkness to coat the edge of my sword, adding extra oomph to the blow as I swung and ran the blade right into its ribs. The Minotaur roared in pain as a small amount of shadowy energy was absorbed into Goetia. Right… Stygian iron can permanently kill monsters.

"HEY! BEEF BRAIN!"

The Minotaur turned to look back at Maia, and we all paused. She was holding a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt out like matador holding the red cloth. Well… it was orange. Close enough, right?

"What are you doing, wasting your time with them?!" She flapped the shirt up and down. "Fresh Poseidon half-blood meat, right over here! COME AND GET ME, HAMBURGER HELPER!"

The Minotaur snorted, steam coming out of its nostrils, right as its eyes glared red. It charged, whipping right past us, heading straight for Maia. My eyes widened in horror as I expected her to be run over, but she leaped out of the way just in time. And she had been standing right in front of the wall. The entire building shook as once again, the Minotaur rammed headfirst into concrete, stone, whatever the walls were made of. Maia dropped the shirt, grabbed her sword, and jumped onto its back. The Minotaur thrashed, but she wrapped her legs around its neck—before plunging her blade right through its skull. The bull man went rigid, and then slumped.

She just _… killed the Minotaur_.

It dissolved into dust, and she landed on her feet. The only thing left was a horn still stuck in the wall. Maia grabbed it, put her foot up on the wall, and after a couple of tries, managed to yank it out, stumbling backwards.

I just stood there in silence, stunned that it was over already. Aeneas let out a sigh, reaching up to run a hand through his now messy blond hair. He did something with his sword, and it turned into something small, which he then slid onto his finger—a ring maybe, like how Goetia worked?

"This really must be a Poseidon trait," Thalia muttered, lowering her bow. "Is everyone okay? No one's been hurt, right?"

"I'm fine," Aeneas answered. "What about you, Maia?"

"Just dandy," she grumbled, eying the Minotaur horn in her hand.

"And I am unharmed as well," Acacia said, before turning her green eyes on me. "How are you faring, Eleni?"

I nodded. "I'm all right."

Maia scowled, giving me a dark glare. "You were no help in this fight at _all_."

I stiffened. " _Excuse_ me?"

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh, please. Don't act all high and mighty. You're _always_ making excuses for not being able to do anything. I can't do _this_ , I can't do _that_. _Waaah, Lee doesn't like me so I'm gonna act all mopey instead of just getting over it._ Gods, you might as well be wearing your heart on your sleeve!"

My eyes widened with horror, my cheeks burning. "H-How do you…"

"Come _on_ , I may be a lot of things, but I ain't _stupid_ ," Maia retorted. "Everybody in a hundred mile of radius can see you're falling on your sword over the guy. And I know I'm not the only one here who notices." She pointedly gave Aeneas a look.

"Now is really not the time to start one of your fights, Maia," Aeneas warned, a dangerous edge to his voice. "We need to go, before the police come."

"Aeneas is right," Thalia said. "We need to move. If this is seriously an issue, you can deal with it later. Let's go."

Thankfully, Maia didn't argue with her. I stayed silent, feeling ashamed and wishing I could crawl into a hole and never come out again. She was right, of course. She had been just being petty yesterday, but… today, her words struck true. I was making excuses… I probably could have tried harder in this fight. Someday, that could get someone killed… _again_.

With sirens blaring in the distance, we slipped out of the Air and Space Museum, returned to the van, and made our escape.

* * *

We decided to leave D.C. and continue on, mostly to satiate Maia. I sat in the back with Aeneas and Acacia, since it was Thalia's turn to drive. Maia had refused to sit next to me, so Acacia just let her have shotgun rather than to listen to her complain the entire ride. I didn't get a window seat, however, and that made me feel even more awkward and miserable.

I wished I could just shake this sadness… I wished I could just accept that Lee and I were meant to only be friends. I wished I could stop feeling so lonely despite being surrounded by friends.

At one point, I reached into my pack to pull out the Hunters of Artemis pamphlet that Thalia had given me last night. I went over it again, wondering if I really should join them. But a lifetime of hunting monsters, even in the service of one of my favorite goddesses… Was that really the life for me?

I put the pamphlet away and sat up straight, only for a rainbow to streak across the space in front of me, complete with the image of two familiar faces. I yelped in surprise, having not expected an Iris message at _all_.

"Cassie!" I gasped. "And, um, Lee. Why are you calling me?"

 _"Jeez, don't sound so happy to see us,"_ Cassie said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. _"Did we catch you at a bad time? Looks like you're in the van."_

"Oh, not at all," Acacia said, leaning in so she could peer into the image. _"It's not like we_ are _in the van and can hear everything you say."_

"Don't be creepy, Acacia," Thalia called back to her.

 _"We can call back later,"_ Lee said, sounding mildly annoyed, as he lifted his hand to wave it through the rainbow to destroy it and end the Iris message.

But Cassie grabbed his arm, stopping him. _"Oh no you don't. You can get through one conversation."_

"Is something wrong?" Aeneas asked, turning his attention to the rainbow.

 _"No,"_ Cassie replied. _"I'm just trying to cure this idiot of Broody Teenage Boy Syndrome."_

"Oh." Aeneas took her statement with a completely straight face. "That's unfortunate. Vince had that once. Those were dark times."

Lee scowled. _"I'm_ right here _, you know."_

"Yep, I can hear my little brother brooding all the way up here," Thalia called back.

"I'm not sure what is worse," Acacia mused. "Broody Teenage Boy Syndrome or Moody Teenage Girl Syndrome."

"I can hear you too," Maia griped from the front.

"Hahaha…" I let out a strained laugh. "B-But anyways… you wanted to talk to me?"

It was a little embarrassing that this happened right after what Maia said to me regarding Lee… I was hoping that a full day of not seeing him at all would help me feel better, but apparently I couldn't even get that. I was sure Cassie had her reasons for this Iris message, but I couldn't help but wish this wasn't happening.

 _"Well, Lee didn't, but I'm making him,"_ Cassie said with a shrug. _"But he doesn't want to talk to anyone right now. Look at his face. See how grumpy he is? Gods."_

 _"You don't have to keep on rubbing it in,"_ Lee grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

 _"Well, maybe I'll stop if you actually talk to Eleni,"_ Cassie retorted.

He let out an exasperated sigh, before looking at me. _"Are you… doing okay?"_

My heart gave a nervous pang. That question had multiple meanings. _How are you doing since Ray's death? How are you doing on the quest? How are you doing after I rejected you and broke your heart into a million pieces?_ No one would know all of those questions but me, and I was so grateful for that. Though considering what I had told Aeneas about, he could possibly figure out the different meanings. Talk about embarrassing…

"I'm fine, I guess," I muttered, shrugging weakly. "We just fought the Minotaur."

 _"You fought…_ the Minotaur? _"_ Lee's eyes widened with shock, the most emotion I'd seen him show so far. _"Are you sure you're okay? You didn't get hurt, did you?"_

" _We_ did," Aeneas answered brusquely, surprising me by interceding. "Like Eleni said, she's _fine_. No one was hurt. Maia killed it. We're all safe and sound."

Lee narrowed his eyes. _"Glad to hear. Wouldn't want anyone to get hurt."_

Was it just me… or was there tension just _radiating_ off the two of them? I could feel it even through the Iris message. I shifted in my seat, suddenly uncomfortable. This was different from the tension between Maia and me. This was… something else entirely. And I didn't like it.

 _"Good for Maia, then,"_ Cassie said, much to my relief. _"I wonder who sent the Minotaur after you. You don't think…"_

Lee bristled, scowling. _"Paris is desperate. I wouldn't put it past him."_

Aeneas sighed. "Me either. I'd rather not think he sent a monster to kill us, but… he has to know we're coming for Penelope."

"Maybe he doesn't know it's all of us," I said quietly. "Maybe he's expecting you, Aeneas, and you're the one he's trying to kill. You were really close to Penelope, weren't you?"

I had heard quite a few things about Aeneas, Penelope, and Paris. Some was directly from Lee from what he knew about his half-brother, some were rumors I'd overheard. A lot of people thought they all had a falling out because Aeneas and Paris fought over Penelope, and she ended up joining the Hunters to get away from it. And apparently, Penelope was closer to Aeneas during her last year as a camper. I wasn't sure what to believe, but from the brief moment I met Penelope… She was kind, considerate, and so beautiful. I was a shadow of what she was.

"It… depends on what you mean by _'really close'_ ," Aeneas said slowly.

"Weren't you…" I hesitated, but steeled myself. I needed to know the truth. "Weren't you guys a thing?"

I don't think I had ever seen Aeneas look so annoyed before in my life. "For the love of… Gods forbid a guy and a girl _just_ be friends. _No_ , Eleni, we were _not_ dating or anywhere _close_ to that. Penelope was and is my best friend. She's like a sister to me. She joined the Hunters because she wanted to. It had nothing to do with some lovers' spat or whatever. _Gods_." He pressed a hand to his temple. "If I had a drachma for every time someone asked me that, I'd be able to buy Mount Olympus."

"Gods, do you believe every damn rumor you here?" Maia demanded from the front.

"I… I'm sorry…" I shrunk down in my seat, feeling a wave of humiliation rush over me. "I didn't mean to offend you or anything… Just… Just forget I said anything…"

 _"Maia, did you_ have _to rub it in?"_ Lee demanded in irritation. _"How's she supposed to know? She just got here two months ago."_

"Yeah, well, I tend to _not_ believe rumors when they say shit like _'Ray sneaks into Zeus's cabin at night and erotic sounds can be heard from within'_ and _'Maia is a lesbian'_."

I froze. Aeneas froze. Acacia frowned. Cassie pressed a hand to her forehead. I wasn't sure how Thalia reacted because she was driving. But Lee? His face got so red, I thought he was about to explode.

 _"Maia,"_ he stated darkly. _"Next time I see you in person, I'm going to kill you."_

 _I believed him._

A heavy silence permeated the van. I felt very awkward sitting here between Aeneas and Acacia, with Lee and Cassie right in front of me via Iris message. I could care less if Maia liked girls or not, but the rumor about Lee and Ray was just… _um_ … I mean, it was none of my business what Lee and Ray did… They were dating. It was perfectly normal. But that didn't mean I wanted to _hear_ about it… Or think about it. Or even have the topic in my head when conversing with my crush and also sitting next to an extremely attractive boy.

"You know… I hear enough of this shit in Aphrodite's cabin," Aeneas groaned.

I refused to look at him. _Nope nope nope_.

 _"_ You _hear enough of it?"_ Cassie snorted. _"Gods, some of them have been whispering that Lee's so grumpy because he hasn't been getting-"_

 _"Shut_ up _Cassie!"_ Lee snapped.

"You all disgust me," Acacia deadpanned. "Especially the males."

"Can we _not_ talk about this?" I sighed.

"I think we can all agree on that," Thalia said wryly, breaking her silence. "Honestly, it was hilarious listening to you get so embarrassed, Lee. I missed out on teasing Jason about Piper."

Lee scowled. _"Yeah, well, Ray isn't here anymore. So there's nothing to tease me about."_

Before another word could be said, Lee waved his hand through the water vapor, and the Iris message disappeared. For a moment, we all sat in silence. I heard Thalia sigh heavily. I doubted that upsetting him had been her intention. The conversation just… got out of control, because of Maia. She just made everything worse. I wasn't trying to point and blame, but it was true…

The drive continued, but no one felt like talking.

* * *

Evening came, and we stopped at a McDonald's for dinner, which helped me cheer up a little. Then we drove a little further until we found a motel to stay in. Getting to take a nice, hot shower did wonders on my mood, too. After changing into my pajamas and braiding my hair, I rejoined the others. Aeneas was writing something. Maia was examining the Minotaur horn. I realized Acacia wasn't inside, and then spotted Thalia sitting on the love seat near the door, and I decided to go try and talk to her.

She looked up as I sat down next to her. "If you're wondering where Acacia is, she went out hunting to get some fresh air."

"I don't blame her," I said with a wince.

"Yeah…" Thalia leaned back with a sigh. "Today was crazy, and I've had a lot of crazy days. How're you holding up?"

"I'm okay," I said quietly. "It was sorta nice to see Lee, but…"

"I know the feeling." Thalia looked down at the floor. "I had a friend once. His name was Luke. I don't know if you've heard about him or not, but Luke sided with Kronos during the Second Titan War. He did it for me. Because I sacrificed myself to save him and Annabeth. Zeus took pity on me and turned me into a pine tree before I could die—the tree you see with the Golden Fleece at camp. Luke blamed the gods for what happened to me. He thought they didn't try hard enough to take care of us, their kids."

I stayed silent. I could understand that reasoning… I knew I was lucky to have Hades as my godly parent. He looked out for me and took care of me in his own ways. But from what I gathered from my friends… their godly parents weren't so involved. And by the look in Thalia's eyes, she believed the same thing. It was hard _not_ to believe it.

"Luke poisoned my tree. Percy went on a quest to get the Golden Fleece to save it, and it did its job so well, I became me again. I ended up going on a quest with Percy, Grover, Bianca di Angelo, and a Hunter named Zoë Nightshade to save Artemis. That entire time, I believed in Luke. I couldn't accept how far he was gone, no matter what Zoë told me. But then I saw him with my own eyes. I had to fight him. It was horrible."

Having to fight someone who was once your dear friend… That had to be terrible. I wasn't sure if I would be able to do something like that. I had to give Thalia credit for that.

"When I first became a Hunter, part of the reason was because Luke betrayed me. I was fifteen, younger than you are now, and a boy broke my heart." She smiled sadly. "In the end, Luke redeemed himself. He did what was right, like I had always believed he would. And he died for it. I'm happy with the Hunters, and I don't regret my choice at all. I had other reasons for joining, after all. But what I'm trying to say is… Eleni, just because Lee seems too far gone doesn't mean that there isn't a little bit of his true self still hanging on. Don't give up on him. Give him time to find that part of himself again."

My eyes widened. "You mean… wait for him?"

"What? _No_. Forget Lee for a moment." She shook her head. "What I mean is… don't give up on your friends. And don't join the Hunters just because a boy broke your heart. Join the Hunters because it means something to you. Yeah, we're forbidden from being with men. But it's _more_ than that. Just because you're in a rough spot doesn't mean you should run away from your problems."

I… think I understood what she was trying to get across.

This entire time, I… had been trying to run away.

From my enemies.

From my friends.

From _myself_.

Joining the Hunters wasn't the answer. The answer was kicking Paris's ass, saving Penelope, and then dealing with whatever the hell Erebos was up to. That's what really mattered right now. It was like a fog had been lifted from my mind, and I was seeing for the first time.

"Thank you, Thalia," I said, smiling at her. "For everything. You're a great friend."

"Haha…" She rubbed the back of her head. "I'm just telling it like it is. To someone who will actually listen."

Oh, I wondered who ever she could be talking about? It couldn't be _Maia_. No way. Maia listens to _everyone_. No one follows orders better than her!

"It still means a lot," I said. "I… needed someone to tell me that. It's just… I've never had many friends and… I'm not good with any of this stuff. So thank you, Thalia. I think I'll be okay now."

And for the first time during these past couple of months… I actually meant it.

* * *

 _Monday, August 8th, 2033._

* * *

Once again, we were on the road, on our way to San Francisco. We made it to Ohio around noon, after some annoying traffic delays, and decided to stop at a break area to get some lunch. After some discussion, we decided to split up and reconvene at the van in an hour. There was no way to split the group evenly, so I ended up going with Aeneas, and Thalia, Acacia, and Maia stayed together. Honestly, it was a relief to get away from the ornery daughter of Neptune.

"So, where do you want to eat?" Aeneas asked as split off from the others.

The rest stop consisted of a building filed with several different fast food joints and a large dining area. There were a few other people milling about—mostly families probably traveling for vacation. Looking around, I examined our options. Seeing McDonald's made me want to go there, but… we ate there for dinner and Aeneas really didn't seem to like fast food all that much. He had gotten a _salad_ last night. Chewing on my bottom lip, I eyed the Subway. Would that be more suitable…?

"Where do you want to go?" I asked instead, looking up at him.

"Huh? Me?" His eyes widened, like he was surprised I asked. "Anywhere is fine."

"Are you _sure?_ " I asked skeptically, giving him a look.

"…Okay, fine," he sighed. "Could we go…. somewhere healthier?"

"Subway it is, then," I declared, before laughing a little. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Yeah, yeah," he laughed with a slight smile. "You seem to be in a better mood."

"Oh, well…" I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment. "I don't have to be near Maia for an hour. This is the best day I've had in months."

"…Right." Aeneas sighed again, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I keep on forgetting you only arrived two months ago. I'm sorry you've been dragged into such a mess."

"It's not your fault," I said quietly. "I'm _managing_. It could be worse…"

I wasn't sure _how_ , but it could be.

"I suppose," he said. "But let's get our food."

I nodded in agreement, and we went over to the line for Subway. Once we had gotten our subs, we headed over to the dining area. There were mostly tables, and some booths lined the walls. But most of the booths were already taken by families. We spotted Thalia, Acacia, and Maia sitting at a table by the windows. I had nothing against the two Hunters, but I really did not want to deal with Maia right now, so I veered towards the opposite direction. We found a table somewhat isolated from the rest of the people here, and decided to sit there.

At first, we remained silent, focusing on unwrapping our subs and taking the first few bites. Gods, I didn't realize how hungry I was until I was chewing. About a minute passed before either of us said anything. It wasn't an awkward silence; we were comfortable around each other by now.

"Hey…" Aeneas began slowly. "This is kind of random, but… when's your birthday?"

I looked up at him surprise, and swallowed the bite I had been chewing. "It was almost two months ago. June twenty-third." I grimaced. "My sweet sixteen wasn't so sweet."

It was his turn to look surprised. "Really? Was that when you came to Camp Half-Blood? Well, regardless of that, happy really belated birthday."

"Yeah, it was. But thanks…" I took a sip from my soda. "When's your birthday, then?"

"This month," he laughed. "The twenty-second. I'll be turning seventeen. Gods, it's insane thinking about how next year I'll be _eighteen_. A legal adult."

"This month? Really?" I couldn't help but feel surprised. He always seemed to be older by at least a year, not only ten months. Okay, _technically_ he was a year older but still. "We have to celebrate."

Aeneas laughed, shaking his head. "No, no, it's fine. It's not a big deal. We may still be on this quest by the time it rolls around, if things don't go according to plan."

"That's true," I sighed, looking down at my sub. "It's just… It would be so nice to have a reason to celebrate. Ever since I've found out I'm a demigod… nothing but bad things have happened. Paris's betrayal, Ray's death, Penelope's kidnapping, the Trojan War… I just want something to feel happy about."

I forced myself to continue eating though, carefully picking up one half of my sub and taking a bite. My appetite was beginning to wane, but I knew that if I was to be of any help on this quest, I had to take care of myself, even if I didn't feel like it. On the other hand, Aeneas grew quiet, gazing down at his sandwich rather intently, like he was contemplating something serious. Unsure of what caused the sudden shift in his mood, I remained silent, continuing to eat my lunch.

"…I want to make you happy, Eleni."

I froze, feeling my face slowly rise in temperature as his words sunk in. I peered up from my sub to see if he had truly just said that and I wasn't hallucinating. But no—there was a dead serious look on his face, not a hint of a blush on his cheeks, his blue eyes gazing at me steadily. Aeneas had never lied to me, and I highly doubted he would start now. And all I could do was stare at him, shocked and embarrassed.

"I know I'm not Lee," he continued in a low, solemn voice. "I know you care about him a lot, and I'm not going to bother trying to convince you that he's not the right guy for you and all that jazz, because that's not going to change anything. I just wanted you to know that there's someone that does care about you, because you seem to believe no one does."

I was at a loss for words. "I… I don't know what to say." I could only imagine this was how Lee felt when I told him I had a crush on him.

"I figured as much." Aeneas took a sip from his bottle of water. "I apologize if I've made you uncomfortable. That was not my intention."

"I'm not uncomfortable!" I all but blurted, only to blush more out of embarrassment, my heart racing a mile a minute. "I just… I find it hard to believe that… someone as amazing as you… would be interested in someone as lame as me."

He quirked an eyebrow. " _'Amazing'_ , huh?"

"W-Well, yeah," I muttered, shifting in my seat, now feeling more awkward than anything else. "You're an awesome fighter, probably the best I've ever seen, and a really great teacher, and I have no idea what I'd do if you weren't here and-"

I abruptly cut myself off as I realized I had started rambling and listing the various things I liked about Aeneas. _Shit_. That really had _not_ been my intention. At _all_.

"I… I'm just gonna shut up now," I mumbled, sinking down into my seat and wishing I could crawl into a hole and never come back out.

Instead, I picked up the half of my sub and started eating again so I didn't have to talk and say other even more embarrassing things. He must have taken that as his cue to remain silent, and also continued to eat his sub. A heavy, awkward silence fell over us. Well, it was at least awkward for me.

I couldn't help but think of at the time I was at Camp Jupiter on the quest to the Underworld, where I opened up to Lee and made him promise me he wouldn't die. I wasn't nearly as scared now as I was back then. I was more sure of myself, if only by a little, and while yes, I was afraid of losing more friends in this stupid war, it wasn't a feeling of imminent doom. But in that moment, I had showed too much of how I felt, like I just did now, even though I had no idea what my feelings for Aeneas even were.

He was my friend. I knew that for sure. In a way, he was my mentor. He taught me how to fight. He saved me by taking Katoptris away from me. There were so many signs of how he cared about me, but I was completely oblivious because all I could think about was Lee, who in turn rejected me, made me feel like total shit, and now was stuck in a perpetual state of brooding that even made me, a child of Hades, want to pull my hair out. He had done nothing to help me get through my own mourning.

I was so blind, I couldn't see what was right in front of me. And I felt so _stupid_ for it.

We finished our lunch with fifteen minutes to spare. Aeneas offered to throw away the trash, so I let him, giving me a moment to calm and collect myself. No other words were spoken when he rejoined me, and since there was nothing else better to do, we just silently agreed to head back to the van. When we reached it, I noticed Thalia, Acacia, and Maia still hadn't returned.

"It's my turn to drive again," Aeneas muttered, "but Thalia has the keys."

"We'll just have to wait, then," I sighed.

He nodded in agreement, and once again silence fell between us. We stayed behind the van, out of view from the rest stop and anyone passing by. I stood very awkwardly, hands clasped behind my back, a million thoughts running through my mind.

Anger and frustration towards Lee, the person who I considered my first real friend in over a decade. Confusion and uncertainty towards Aeneas, the person who had done nothing but help me. There was my irritation with Maia, but that seemed to be the least of my problems right now. It was like the pieces were coming together like a puzzle in my mind. I knew what I had to do.

I glanced over at Aeneas, trying to ignore the wave of shyness that pummeled me. "Um… Aeneas?"

He looked down at me. "Yes?"

I bit my bottom lip nervously. "You said… you said you want to make me happy."

He nodded, seeming a bit wary. "Yeah. What about it?"

"It… It would really make me happy…" I took a breath to steady myself, my blush returning with a fury. "if you kissed me."

Aeneas just stared at me for a moment, like he was questioning whether or not he had heard me correctly. But he must have realized he did, because he closed the space between us, grabbed me by the waist to pull me even closer, leaned down towards me. I reached up the best I could, slipping my arms up around his neck. The first time we tried to kiss, our noses accidentally bumped together, which made both of us blush. But the second time, we did it right.

I had never kissed someone before, so I had no idea what I was doing. But as soon as Aeneas pressed his lips to mine, I felt a jolt—a spark that electrified me, and it had nothing to do with demigod powers. His breath was hot, but his lips softer than I had imagined. I felt breathless, but I didn't care. It was too wonderful to stop. We kissed once, then twice, then thrice-

"Awww, you two are so cute! I can't get over how precious you are!"

We yanked apart faster than Medusa can turn someone to stone. My face might as well have spontaneously combusted in that moment from how hot it felt. Standing beside a limousine was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her appearance was constantly shifting, flickering from dark curly hair, tanned skin, and bright blue eyes to long, flowing golden blonde locks, fair skin, and baby blue eyes. She was wearing a sleek black sleeveless turtleneck, white capris, and a pair of white sandal pumps. Nothing about her appearance was out of place; I would even say she was _perfect_ , like the epitome of beauty. Even her make-up was on point, without a single flaw on her face. It was like she was everything I aspired to be, and _then_ some.

Aeneas gaped at the woman, his cheeks dark red, but I don't think I was prepared for what he said next.

"MOM?!"


	18. I Find the Truth

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 18: I FIND THE TRUTH**

* * *

 **AENEAS**

* * *

 _Monday, August 8th, 2033._

* * *

It was, without a doubt my mother, the goddess Venus.

I would recognize her anywhere. I wasn't sure how she appeared to everyone else, but despite how beautiful she was, she always had that _Mom_ vibe for me. She would flicker occasionally, but most of the time she remained a petite, curvaceous, and slightly plump woman. Mahogany brown curls cascaded down her back, and she had olive skin and dark eyes, making her look either very Italian or very Greek. I could never tell anymore. She was wearing a fashionable—or at least I _assumed_ it was—white tank top, mom jeans, and sandals. Everything about her was perfect—everything I aspired to be.

"My precious baby boy!" Venus gushed, before rushing over to squeeze me to death in a bear hug. "I _knew_ you would grow up someday! I just _knew_ it!"

"Mom, I… I can't breathe…"

She released me, taking a step back, now completely ignoring me to look at Eleni. "And you must be the lucky lady! Eleni, yes?"

"U-Um…" Eleni's eyes were as saucers as she looked up at the goddess, her cheeks splashed with vivid scarlet. "Y-Yes…"

"And you're the one who's inevitably triggered another Trojan War… Though I had nothing to do with it this time." Venus looked from her, to me, and then back at her. "Of course, who can say it's your fault, either? Your Paris loves only himself and is a disgrace to the original. He claims to love the girl he's captured, but I don't see it anywhere. I find this corruption of love unacceptable."

"Is that what you're here to talk about?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes, my dear. Zeus has made it very clear about whose side he's on, as has Poseidon. The rest of us have no other choice but to pick a side to support as well." She rested a hand on her hip. "I am on the side of true love, and that has brought me here. I will always support my favorite son." She looked toward me, smiling warmly. "I just want you to know, Aeneas, that I will do everything in my power to help you and your friends. Love and war go hand in hand, you know."

"…Thank you, Mom," I said, still unsure of how to take this.

"You still have Iulius, don't you?" she asked.

I nodded, lifting my hand to show her the gold ring. The magical ring could turn into my imperial gold spathe—a gift from her on my twelfth birthday, after I survived Wolf House and joined Camp Jupiter. "It's served me well."

"Good, good." Venus appeared to be pleased. "Very well, I will help you and your friends get to your next destination."

She waved her hand, and out of nowhere, and five silvery white pearls appeared in my hands. I barely had time to grip them before dropping them.

"You will have to abandon your vehicle, but when each of your companions crushes one of these pearls, you'll be transported to your destination," Venus informed us. "But I must be on my way. I shouldn't keep Mars waiting. Stay safe, my darling boy."

Before I could say anything—like ask where the hell our next destination was in the first place—Venus had sauntered back over to the limousine and gotten in. Then it drove off, leaving us very much alone. Gods, dealing with my mother tired me out so easily. I let out a heavy sigh, and looked down at the pearls in my hand. I was grateful that she wanted to help us, but dammit, where were we even going?

But… there was another thing that needed addressing.

I looked over at Eleni. She was still standing about a foot away from me, not having budged an inch since pulling away from me when we had, uh… essentially been making out. She must have sensed my gaze, because she looked up at me, her eyes still rather wide from our encounter with Venus. Her blush had faded away, only to come back with a vengeance. She quickly looked away, tucking in her chin and clasping her hands together behind her back.

 _Fuck_. I really had done that. It really had happened.

"Eleni, I…" The words came rushing out of my mouth, and I forced myself to stop and take a breath. I needed to remain calm. "I'm sorry. I got a little out of control there."

"I'm not upset…" she said quietly, looking down at the pavement. "It's just… I… I don't know if I'm ready… for this. I want… to make sure my feelings for you are genuine, and that I'm not just trying to replace… you know who."

…Lee. _That piece of shit._ He used to be a great guy, someone I had a lot of respect for. But Ray's death had changed him, and not in a good way—just like losing Patroclus had done to Achilles. At first, it hurt me to see him like that just like everyone else. He had been my friend too. But seeing how he was acting on the Iris message the other day, and knowing how he had hurt the girl I liked… He and I were going to have issues. It pissed me off so much when he suddenly started caring again when Eleni told him we had fought the Minotaur. Who gave him the right, after he stopped being a friend to her? To all of us?

Yes, part of it was because I was jealous. I won't deny that. I'm far from perfect. But he wasn't being a good friend to anyone right now, and that wasn't okay.

I must have started scowling or something, because Eleni suddenly looked nervous. "I'm so sorry… I didn't think this through… I just don't want to hurt you, Aeneas… or lose your friendship."

I sighed, reaching up to run a hand through my hair. "I'm not going anywhere, Eleni. We will always be friends. I promise."

She bit her bottom lip. "You really mean that?"

"I do," I said, lowering my hand. "But I need you to promise me something in return."

"What is it?" she asked.

"You need to take care of yourself first and foremost," I told her firmly. "I hate to admit it, but Maia's right. You've become a blubbering mess since Lee rejected you. That's not the girl I trained at Camp Half-Blood. You're stronger than this. You don't need Lee, or me, or any guy or girl or whatever the hell you like to be strong. You are Eleni Spiros, daughter of Hades, and that's all you need."

Her eyes widened in shock, and for a moment, all she did was stare at me. But then she closed her eyes, her hands returning to her sides, clenching into fists. She took a deep breath, and reopened her eyes. She met my gaze, a steeliness now in her dark eyes.

"You're right," she said, her voice not shaking or stammering. "Like Meg in Disney's Hercules said… I am a damsel, I am in distress, I can handle this."

I almost groaned out loud. "Gods, that movie is awful. Don't quote that thing in my presence."

"Hey, it's a good movie!" she protested, pouting. "If you ignore the mythological inaccuracies…"

"It's kind of hard when you live and breathe mythology," I muttered.

She giggled softly, a smile gracing her lips—her first genuine smile I had seen… _ever_. It made her even more beautiful. I decided I needed to make her smile like this more often.

"But really… thank you." Eleni continued to smile up at me. "I don't deserve you as a friend. You've been there for me, and all I've done is… whine and complain. I swear I'll be a better friend to you—before we become anything else. And I promise to take care of myself."

"That's all I'm asking," I said gently, but couldn't continue because the others finally rejoined us.

"Hey, sorry if we kept you waiting," Thalia said. "But—wait. Are you holding… _pearls_?"

"…We were visiting by my mother," I said. "She gave us these pearls, and said if we crushed them, they would take us to our next destination."

Thalia scrunched up her nose. "Glad I wasn't here for that."

"Agreed," Acacia said dryly.

Maia glowered, crossing her arms over her chest. "Is that _all_ she wanted?"

"Venus told us that the gods are picking sides," Eleni said quietly. "And that she and Poseidon are on ours. She said she'll help us out as much as she can. I imagine Poseidon will too, at some point."

Maia only glared harder. "Well, ain't that nice."

Eleni scowled. "Will you ever pull out that stick shoved up your ass? You're such a bitch, Maia."

"What the hell did you just say to me?" Maia demanded, her hands clenching into fists. " _I'm_ a bitch? I'M a bitch? _Excuse me_ for wanting to rescue my sister!"

"That's not why you're grumpy all the time and you know it," Eleni retorted.

Maia opened her mouth to retort back, but hesitated. And that was all that was needed for all of us to realize that Eleni had struck a chord. One point for Eleni Spiros.

Maia just scowled again, and crossed her arms over her chest, looking away. "Yeah, well, whatever."

Thalia sighed. "Well, let's use those pearls and get going. We've wasted enough time here."

I nodded, and proceeded to hand a pearl to each of my companions. Then simultaneously, we all dropped the pearls and crushed them with our feet. We were enveloped in white feathers, and the next thing I knew, we were standing beside a two-lane road with sand flowing over the pavement. Thalia's eyes widened, the color draining from her face, and she spoke a single, eloquent word.

" _Shit_."

"What… what is this place…" Eleni muttered uneasily, tightening her grip on her messenger bag.

Across the road, on the other side, was a small collection of buildings. There was a boarded-up house, a taco shop that probably hadn't been opened since the birth of the gods, and a white stucco post office with a sign that said _GILA CLAW, ARIZONA_ , hanging haphazardly above the door. And beyond that were massive hills of junk that seemed to go on for miles. This place… it was the Junkyard of the Gods, wasn't it? I suddenly understood why Thalia was not pleased to find this place.

"…The Junkyard of the Gods," Thalia answered, confirming my suspicions. "The place where the gods throw away their garbage. Hephaestus uses it the most. Anything that gets thrown away here is defective, or cursed."

"That's… totally reassuring…" Eleni shuddered. "Do we _have_ to cross through here?"

"Yes," Acacia answered. "It is west. Penelope is in the west."

"We'll be fine, Eleni," I said, trying to reassure her. "Just don't take anything."

"Yeah…" Thalia nodded in agreement. "Let's stick together. And remember, _don't take anything_. _Got it_ , Maia?"

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," Maia grumbled.

…I really hope this wouldn't end up being one of the times when she _didn't_ listen. Because I was pretty sure if something bad happened and it was Maia's fault, Thalia may try to kill her. And I don't think any of us would try to stop her.

Eleni sighed softly. "Okay, but… this place makes me nervous."

We began the long trek through the junkyard. I noticed that Eleni was sticking close to me, and was looking around very worriedly. Her movements were rigid, like something about this place was really bothering her. I would have to ask her about it later. Now was probably not the best time to talk.

We passed by various junk mountains. There was a vast variety of castoffs in them, too, ranging from parts of metal statues, smashed chariots, swords, lances, axes, and other weapons, to modern appliances, like refrigerators, microwaves, televisions, and computer monitors and desktops. There were even _cars_. The gods really did throw away everything. I was half surprised that there weren't any demigods here. I knew the gods weren't proud of every single one of their children.

The walk through the junkyard proved very quiet and very uneventful, as we _all_ listened to Thalia's warning, thank the gods. But finally, as we neared the end, we could see a highway stretching through the desert about half a mile away. Thank the gods, because it was freaking _hot_ out. I was sweating my ass off, and the others weren't doing much better.

But there was something in the way of us reaching that highway. And that was a mesa-sized mound of metal that vaguely made me think of a giant robot. I mean, it had toes… Thalia scowled at the thing, whatever it was.

"Talos," she spat bitterly. "Let's-"

Eleni froze, like something Thalia had said struck her personally. Her dark eyes locked on the metal mountain, as wide as a full moon. We all stopped to look at her, confused. But all Eleni did was stare at the inactive automaton, like she had been smacked in the face by a sudden realization. Only Thalia didn't seem confused; instead, she turned towards Eleni, smiling sadly.

"…Bianca," she said. "That's your past life, isn't it?"

"…Yes." Eleni squeezed her eyes shut. "I remember now… We had to pass through the junkyard to continue on our quest—you, me, Percy, Grover, and Zoë. I found a Mythomagic Hades figurine… It was the only one Nico didn't have. I took it, and Talos woke up, and tried to kill us. I… sacrificed myself to stop Talos. That's why I'm scared of robots… and thunderstorms."

…Well, I sure as hell did not expect that.

"Th-Thalia…" Eleni looked up at her, tears welling up in her eyes. "I am so, so sorry…"

She walked up to Thalia, and threw her arms around her in a hug. Thalia's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but she returned the embrace.

"Don't apologize," Thalia said quietly, gently pushing her back to get a better look at her. "You did what you thought was right. It was a hero's death. It earned you rebirth, and here you are."

"But…" Eleni faltered. "Nico…"

"Nico is happily married with an adopted daughter," Thalia said. "He found his place. It took him a while, but he found it."

"…After all of this, I have to see him," Eleni said, pulling away from the daughter of Zeus. "But first…" She turned back around to face us. "We have to rescue Penelope. I… may have been Bianca di Angelo before, but…" She met my eyes. "I'm Eleni Spiros now."

Some part of me panicked, and I blurted, "You're not going to become a Hunter of Artemis again, are you?"

"Huh?" Eleni's eyes widened. "Um… I was considering it before, but even now… I don't think my place is with the Hunters in this life."

"Regardless, you will always be welcome with us," Acacia told her.

"Heh." Thalia smiled. "I think Eleni's right, Acacia. She has her own prophecy to take care of. Now let's get out of here. This place still gives me the creeps."

"Agreed," Eleni said.

So, we continued on our way, leaving the Junkyard of the Gods. And Maia was the only one who remained quiet the entire time. Something was brewing with her, and I had no idea what it was. I just hoped it wouldn't come bite us in the behind later.

* * *

 **I am so, so sorry for the late update. First I was very busy, and then I hit my annual case of writer's block. But I've finally seemed to get past it. This chapter is short, but it was a good spot to end it, so I'm still happy with it. Anyways, I'm sorry for keeping you hanging, and hopefully I'll be able tp update consistently again. Thank you for being patient!**


	19. Diomedes Punches a Drakon in the Face

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 19: DIOMEDES PUNCHES A DRAKON IN THE FACE**

* * *

 **DJ**

* * *

 _Tuesday, August 9th, 2033._

You know, when your godly parent places you in a crazy-ass hotel that feeds you lotuses that keep you frozen in time to 'protect' you and then takes you out of said crazy-ass hotel, telling you that you need to go to this camp for demigods because they really need someone with your kickass skills because some psycho kidnapped your half-sister and started the Trojan War 2.0… you'd expect your parent to help you get there. Haha, _nope_ , that's a good one! Instead, Poseidon handed me a ballpoint pen, introduced me to a bloodthirsty pegasus named Joker, patted me on the head, and sent me on my way.

Okay, maybe not literally, but you get my point.

Flying from Las Vegas to New York wasn't too bad. If you didn't include being attacked by harpies, chased by flesh-eating metal birds, and nearly being struck by lightning five times. I'm normally a pretty chill guy, but getting nearly eaten alive and singed by lightning bolts kinda dampens a guy's spirit. And his pants. By the time this damned camp came into view, I had been internally screaming for three days in a row. Thanks, Dad!

 _"See, milord, there's Camp Half-Blood,"_ Joker told me very informatively.

"Thanks, I didn't see it at all."

 _"…Milord?"_

"…What?"

 _"There's a drakon attacking."_

I leaned forward to look down at the incoming landscape. There was a humongous serpentine creature at least thirty feet long, with mottled black scales and bright, sickly green eyes I could make out even at this distance. It was wrapped around what must have been the magical border that Poseidon told me about. A whole army of campers was fighting it—archers shooting in the distance, with melee fighters trying to stab it with spears and swords. It wasn't going very well.

"Well, I guess I'm dying today after all," I muttered, pulling out the ballpoint pen my dad had called 'Riptide'. "Let's go help."

 _"I was hoping you'd say that!"_

Joker let out a whinny reminiscent of a battle cry (don't ask me how that was even possible), gave a powerful flap of his wings, and picked up speed. I tightened my grip on his long, silky black mane. Joker was a pure black pegasus, save for his bald face—his head was mostly white, except for black around his dark eyes, making it look like he was wearing a mask… or a skull. I wasn't sure which he would prefer. But I remembered what my dad told me, so I uncapped the pen, unleashing a medium length celestial bronze one-handed blade.

"Whoa!" I gasped, eyes widening. "It's a sword!"

"INCOMING, MILORD!"

I snapped to attention just in time to see that we were swooping down towards the drakon. Sadly, I didn't have time to scream like a little girl. I barely had time to lower my new sword to try to cut at the huge ass snake. Riptide only reflected off the plate-like scales that covered its body. How unfortunate, and by unfortunate, I mean lucky for it and unlucky for us. Dammit, if only there was some water nearby. I would be able to do a lot more if that was the case.

Joker used the drakon's back to propel himself back up into the air, just avoiding us becoming drakon chow as its head jerked upright to try to snap us up. I could hear shouts from below—mostly confusion about who the heck just came in riding on a pegasus. Well, I'd be wondering the same thing. As we swooped back around, I looked down to see if I could pick out anyone notable. The archers were being led by an African-American girl. A scrawny redheaded boy was with a bunch of other kids near a copse of trees, and I realized they were manipulating the vegetation to aid in the battle. A Hispanic girl and a dark-haired guy were leading a group of campers in purple t-shirts. Most of the combatants were keeping their distance from the drakon, which was a wise decision, except for this one black-haired guy. Something about him was… _different_. Blue electricity crackled around him, seeming to come from the celestial bronze spear he was wielding.

Who _was_ that guy? Was he nuts?

 _"MILORD! It's after us!"_

I snapped out of my thoughts, looking behind me to see that the drakon's head was chasing after us, its long body reaching up in the air. I only thought one word in that moment.

 _Shit shit shit shit shit shit-_

"Go go go!" I snapped, pressing my heels into his sides. "Out maneuver it!"

Joker pumped his wings harder, trying to fly even faster. He darted through the air, zigzagging back and forth, trying to avoid the drakon's gaping jaws. But I could tell by the sweat dampening his dark fur that he wasn't going to last much longer. It was do or die.

Well, I didn't want to _die_ today, so my only option was _do_. Do, as in _do something very stupid_. So what did I do? I jumped off the pegasus.

The drakon was so shocked that I just jumped off Joker that it stopped, staring at me stupidly with its creepy Disney green eyes, as I landed rather roughly right on its nose. You know, I truly thank the gods for whoever invented athletic cups, because otherwise I would've become a she in that moment. It still hurt like hell, but I didn't scream like a little kid or anything. The drakon was still in a stupor, so I took the opportunity to do another stupid thing.

I punched the drakon in the face. And my hand gave a sickening crunch.

"AGH! Take this, you acid-breath, slimy scaled, two eyed piece of shit!" I yelled, before promptly stabbing it in the eye with Riptide.

The drakon screeched, its head jerking back. If I hadn't been holding onto Riptide, I would've fallen to my death. I quickly grabbed a hold of the hilt with both hands as I was knocked from its snout, now dangling in the open air. My broken hand screamed in pain; I could only hold on like this for so long.

Do _or_ die? More like do _and_ die.

"JOKER! A LITTLE HELP HERE?!"

 _"Coming, milord!"_

The pegasus swooped in, so I yanked Riptide out of the drakon's eye before it could thrash me around even more. Joker caught me perfectly, so I was only jolted a little when I landed on his back. He glided away from the serpent, barely avoiding being clipped by its massive jaws. The gust of wind from its mouth snapping shut pushed us away even further. Thanks, drakon!

As we circled back around, I noticed that dark storm clouds were rushing in a bit too quickly to be normal. I immediately got war flashbacks from the various times we had almost been struck out of the sky by lightning. I needed to get on land, fast. Joker would probably be fine as long as I wasn't riding him. Zeus should have nothing against a pegasus.

"Ground, now!" I ordered.

Joker didn't question me. He tucked in his wings and began to glide down towards the grassy ground below. He landed gracefully, furling his wings so I could easily dismount. I quickly slid off his back, relief flowing through me as soon as my sneakers touched the ground. _Phew_ , that had been close-

Giant emerald green vines sprouted up from the ground, wrapping around the drakon, and then a wicked blue lightning bolt crashed down from the sky, striking the serpent. Its agonized screech blasted my ear drums and spooked Joker, who took off into the air. A volley of javelins and spears launched over my head. Half of them bounced right off the drakon's armorlike scales, while the other half drew blood. Well, if they were still fighting, then I might as well try, too.

I could sense a dampness in the air, from the storm clouds above. Maybe I could use this to my advantage… Thunder crackled through the sky, shaking the earth, and I felt a droplet of water land on my head, and then another and another. Before I knew it, it was pouring. I felt the water cool my body, soothing the excruciating throbbing in my broken hand. I could even feel my bones begin to knit back together. I closed my eyes, ignoring the shouting around me, willing myself to be drenched by the rain, as I felt myself be revitalized.

 _Thanks, Dad. I needed this._

"Hey! What the hell are you _doing_?"

A voice snapped me out of my silent prayer, and my eyes shot open. I turned around to see that guy who had been surrounded by electricity earlier. Now that he was only a few feet away from me, I got a better look at him. He appeared to be around my age, making him sixteen or so. He was tall—almost as tall as me, but I was about an inch taller. He was built lanky, looking like he was growing into his height more, and perhaps even was destined to get taller. But he vaguely reminded me of a Greek god—shaggy black hair, now plastered to his face because of the rain, tanned skin, and striking electric blue eyes. But he looked _exhausted_ ; he was breathing heavily, his shoulders trembling slightly. Wait a second…

My eyes widened. "Did you summon that lightning?!"

Lightning Boy narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, so?"

"Damn, that's pretty epic," I said, impressed. "Not that I'm fond of lightning. Nearly got fried five million times on my way here."

"Who _are_ you?" Lightning Boy demanded incredulously.

"DJ Seymour, at your service," I answered, giving a sweeping bow. "And who are _you_?"

" _DJ_?" Lightning Boy echoed suspiciously. "Is that short for something?"

"Diomedes Jerome," I said dryly. "See why I go by my initials?"

"… _Diomedes_?" Lightning Boy repeated disbelievingly, still eying me suspiciously. "You've _got_ to be kidding me… I'm Lee Dalca."

"Lee? Is that short for something?" I teased.

He gave me a sour look. "Achilles."

At first I thought he was joking, but when he didn't deliver the punchline, my eyes widened. "Wait, seriously? Well, ain't that something."

"You haven't seen anything yet," Lee muttered. "Look, you appear to be a powerful demigod. I need your help to slay this drakon. All the other children of the Big Three are away on a quest right now."

I wasn't quite sure what he meant by 'Big Three' or whatever, but the least I could do was help. So I nodded, cracking a grin. "Well, you asked the right demigod."

I willed the rain to stop soaking me, and immediately I was dry. Lee's eyes widened in surprise. Well, I doubt he'd been expecting that. I flexed my formerly broken hand, testing it out. The rainwater had mended it completely. I was good to go.

"Lead the way, Lee," I said, gesturing forward. "You know what you're doing better than I do."

"…Right," he muttered. "Follow my lead."

I nodded, flexing my grip on Riptide, just making sure all my bones had been mended right. It might not have been the wisest decision—I mean, this guy was named _Achilles_ —but he obviously had been fighting longer than I had. Hopefully he would have better judgement than his namesake.

Another volley of javelins and spears was launched at the drakon, soaring over our heads. The serpent let out an angry hiss, turning towards us, though we hadn't been the ones to attack this time. It swung its tail, and it was too fast to dodge. We both got slammed across the abdomen and sent sprawling backwards. The air was knocked right out of my lungs as I crashed into a giant mud puddle the rain had already mixed up. I probably looked like a fish out of water, gasping for air.

Gods… why couldn't fighting monsters just be easy?

The drakon raised itself higher up into the air, baring its razor-sharp fangs that had to at least be the size of surfboards. I couldn't budge an inch; my entire body felt like I'd been flattened like a pancake and I was trying to regain my breath. Lee was probably in a similar state, plus covered in mud, because he couldn't will himself dry like I could.

What a way to go. _Death by drakon_. I don't think I'd be turned into a constellation for this.

The drakon was about to body slam us when I remembered that I still was holding Riptide. On reflex, I raised my sword hand, praying to Poseidon and Athena and every other non-asshole god out there to spare my pitiful life. And right as it was coming down, _somehow_ , I spotted a chink in its scale armor. I immediately thrust my sword towards the spot, and the blade slipped right between its scales. There was a bloodcurdling cry as it _didn't_ flatten us like demigod pancakes; Riptide was keeping the drakon off us. I twisted my blade as much as I could at this angle, and the monster trashed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lee roll out from under it. Well, wasn't _he_ lucky.

Dammit, this thing was pissing me off. It needed to die. _Now_.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I tapped into the rain around me, and willed it to my control. I imagined a storm whirling around me, battering this monster. And when I reopened my eyes, that was exactly what was happening. The pouring rain whirled around the drakon, hitting it in waves. It yanked itself off my blade, pulling away. It shook, trying to break up the storm, but it wasn't working. I heaved myself onto my feet, staggering a little as I realized using this power was draining me.

We needed to finish this. _Fast_.

I looked up towards the sky. Something sea green was glowing on top of my head, but I ignored it. This was more important than some weird glowing thing.

"Joker!" I called. "Need a little help here!"

Within moments, the pegasus appeared, landing briefly enough for me to jump onto his back, before leaping back into the air.

 _"Where to, milord?"_ he asked.

"The drakon's head," I answered. "It's time to make it bleed."

Joker pumped his wings even faster. I knew he would take to it better if I mentioned blood. Gods, just what kind of pegasus did you saddle me with, Dad?

He dove into the storm, which now was rain mixed with sleet. Lightning crackled through the sky, thunder booming in return. I wasn't doing that, but the _whole storm_ was fierce. The drakon screeched, and we just barely dodged getting slammed by its neck. I raked Riptide over the scales on the top of its neck, sparks flying, but it made the drakon's head dart up to try to bite us. Joker nimbly dodged out of the way, and dived under its throat—my goal.

I look up, trying to see if I could spot another weak spot in its hide like before. I found one immediately—a rather large gap between its dark scales. Gripping Riptide with both hands, I thrust the blade up into that gap as hard as I could. Black ichor spilled out, splattering my face as the drakon howled, but I didn't back down. I pushed the sword in even further, twisting it around for good measure. I felt something give away inside, and even more blood spilled out—I cut the jugular, maybe? Yanking Riptide out, I pressed my heels into Joker's sides, urging him to get away _fast_. He tucked in his wings and dove just as the drakon began to fall.

I could see campers scattering below, trying to get out of the monster's way as it crashed to the ground. Even flying on a pegasus's back, I could see the earth tremble as it struck the ground. I immediately dispelled the storm that had been terrorizing it, hit by a wave of exhaustion. I probably only had a few minutes before I actually passed out.

Joker gently landed on the ground as the storm began to dissipate, the pouring rain lightening into a drizzle. And that's when I finally noticed it. I had been so focused on surviving and getting back on land that I hadn't realized the demigods had begun to gather, and as soon as my feet touched the ground, they erupted into cheering. My eyes widened in surprise, but then I felt myself swaying, so I quickly put a hand on Joker's shoulder for support.

I spotted Lee at the front of the crowd, mud spots splotched all over his clothes, still breathing a bit heavily, drenched in rainwater. But the expression on his face told me everything—he was _not_ happy. A girl pushed her way out of the crowd—the African American archer I had noticed earlier—and immediately walked over to him.

"Lee, are you all right?" she asked.

He looked down at her and nodded brusquely. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired and a little roughed up. We have bigger problems, Cassie."

He looked over at me, and she followed his gaze. Her amber eyes widened. Well, I knew I was attractive and all, but she didn't have to look so surprised. Or wait—was it because of the glowy thing above my head? I tried to look up at it. It was… some sort of shining sea green emblem of a trident. Wait… was this what Poseidon meant by 'properly claiming'?

"Welcome back, Diomedes."

I looked back down to see that Chiron had come through the crowd. I don't think I'd ever be so happy to see that centaur, but gods, I _was_.

" _Diomedes_?" the girl, Cassie, demanded. "Wait, you know him, Chiron?"

Chiron looked down at her. "Yes. He came to us a long time ago, just a babe, before any of you were born. Right after the end of the Second Titan War, in fact. We all knew he was Poseidon's son, but he was never _officially_ claimed. Due to a certain… prophecy, Poseidon took him to the Lotus Casino to keep him safe."

"Sounds about right," I said, nodding. "Dad told me you needed help. Something about a Trojan War 2.0? So here I am. I guess this counts as Poseidon's contribution to the war?"

Lee scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. "We don't need any help. We're fine the way we are."

"…Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine," I said. "You're just _glowing_ with happiness. Is someone taking the namesake business too seriously? Hate to break it to you, but Achilles was a dick."

Lee glowered darker. "Don't tell me how to live my life."

"Whoa, dude, seriously," I said, eyes widening. "You need to _chill_. Keep on scowling like that, and you'll get stuck like that permanently."

Cassie let out an exasperated sigh. "Don't bother, Diomedes. He's been like this for a while now."

"DJ," I said. "Just call me _DJ_. Diomedes is a bit of a mouthful, y'know?"

"Let us get you to the Big House," Chiron said, speaking up before Lee could say anything else. "You must be exhausted, and we must explain the situation to you."

"Sounds like a plan," I said, before smiling sheepishly. "But, uh, I think I'll ride to the Big House on Joker here, if you don't mind." I wasn't sure if I could actually _walk_.

"Lee," Chiron said, turning to go. "Would you accompany DJ to the Big House? Cassie, I need you to come with me."

Lee sighed in irritation. "Yes, Chiron."

"Aw, what's the matter?" I joked. "Don't you want to spend more time with your new best buddy?"

He gave me a withering look. "Let's just go."

"Try not to kill each other," Cassie muttered, before leaving with Chiron, as the crowd began to disperse.

I heaved myself back up onto Joker's back, letting out an exhausted sigh once I was mounted. Gods, I wished I could just sleep. Sleep sounded _great_ right now. But alas, I had no choice but to follow my new best friend to the Big House.

* * *

I spent most of the afternoon listening to Chiron explain the situation. Apparently, there had been mysterious murders going on before a daughter of Hades showed up. Then this girl, who was named Eleni, went on a quest with Lee, who was a son of Zeus, and a son of Athena named Ray, to go to the Underworld to ask Hades if he knew anything about what was going on. He didn't, and when they returned to camp, Paris, another son of Zeus, betrayed everyone, and his older brother, Hector, murdered Ray. He then kidnapped Penelope, a daughter of Poseidon and Hunter of Artemis. Maia, a daughter of Neptune, had been chosen to lead the quest to rescue her half-sister, and picked Eleni, Aeneas, a son of Venus, and Thalia and Acacia, Hunters of Artemis, to go with her. Camp Jupiter had split in two due to Paris's betrayal, because his brother, Hector, was one of the praetors.

Long story short, it really was the Trojan War 2.0, right down to the names. Except Penelope getting kidnapped instead was a bit off. Still, I was sort of happy to be back in Camp Half-Blood. I had left when I was ten years old. I wondered how Percy and the others were doing. I imagined they were married and had families of their own by now. That was a weird thought. I finally figured out my Riptide was his Riptide, since I wasn't, y'know, fighting in life or death situations.

I ended up going to the stables after dinner, to check on Joker and see the other pegasi. I snuck them some sugar cubes, which made them _really_ happy. We talked a little while, and then I went on my way. I had to get back to my cabin before curfew, after all.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed a gleam of white. I looked back to see a snowy white barn owl flying through the sky. I swore it turned its head to look at me, before swerving and flying back towards the woods. That was… weird. But then, all of today had been freaking weird. Hell, my entire _life_ was weird. I wished I could remember things about my mother, but… I had been a baby when I was taken from her—or her from me. I had no idea.

I shook off the unsettledness that owl gave me, and continued to my cabin. I was surprised I had managed to stay awake this long. Sleep was greatly needed. I paused outside the cabin, my hand resting on the knob, and gave Camp Half-Blood, my new home, one last look around. I might not be able to do much now to help in the war, until the questers came back, but… I would do my best to protect this place. After all, I had the courage—or stupidity—to punch a drakon in the face.

Stifling a yawn— _finally_ —I opened the door and entered my cabin. Hopefully my sleep wouldn't be nightmare ridden, but you never know when you're a demigod. Rubbing my eyes, I trudged over to my bed and plopped down. I was too tired to change into PJs, and before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

* * *

When I said I hoped my sleep wouldn't be nightmare ridden, I should've known I was jinxing myself. I wasn't sure if it was a nightmare or not, but I found myself hovering below the ceiling of a bedroom. It was fairly large, with cream walls that had landscape paintings hanging from them. There was a canopy bed, with red curtains pushed to the side, and a matching comforter and sheets. The scene shifted as I moved, getting closer to the bed. Now at a different angle, I saw that a girl was sitting on the bed in front of the pillows, with her knees pulled up and arms wrapped around them.

The girl looked around fifteen, so around my age. She had wavy black hair that just went past her shoulders, and her bangs were hiding her face at this angle. I… got the feeling that this girl wasn't happy. She didn't want to be here, wherever this was. And gauging by the bruises on her arms… she had a good reason not to. I heard the door open, and the girl's head jerked up, revealing sea green eyes. Wait—was this my half-sister that got kidnapped?!

Someone came into view, but his back was to me. He was tall, with golden blond hair. My sister's reaction to his entrance told me all I needed to know. She flinched away, even though he wasn't even close enough to touch her. This guy… This was _Paris_ , wasn't it? Great. Just great. I had to get a vision about this. At least I knew Penelope was alive.

"What do you want?" she asked icily, but I could see the fear in her eyes.

Paris let out an exasperated sigh. "There's no need to be like that, Penny."

She stiffened, looking away. "I'm not talking to you."

"Come _on_ , Penelope." His tone turned harsh. "There's no point in fighting this. We're meant to be. The prophecy said so."

She continued to look away from him. "I am a Hunter of Artemis. I will not break my vow for you, or anyone else."

I couldn't see his face, but I imagined he looked _pissed_. "…It would be different if I was Aeneas, wouldn't it?"

…Who? Aeneas? Wait, wasn't he the other praetor of Camp Jupiter? He went on the quest to rescue Penelope, didn't he? What did Paris have against Aeneas? I really doubted she was lying about her vows. She made them for a reason.

" _What?_ " Penelope looked over at him, confusion and shock on her face. "What does Aeneas have to do with anything?"

Paris turned around, and now I could see the glower on his face. "I will give you three days to decide, Penelope. Then you will have no choice."

With that, he strode out of the room, and slammed the door shut behind him. Penelope sat there for a moment, the color having drained from her face. She looked down at her hands, which were still clasped together as she hugged her knees. Tears began to fill her eyes, and spilled down onto her cheeks. She buried her face into her knees, and her body began to wrack with sobs.

That piece of shit… I wished I was on that quest so I could kick his sorry ass myself.

The vision faded away, and I drifted into a dreamless sleep. I was powerless to do anything to help my sister as long as I was here, but at least I knew she was all right… for now.


End file.
